By IANS,
New Delhi : Quotes of the day :
Deva Gowda — Janata Dal-Secular and former prime minister: “I was not included in the talks on the nuclear deal. There was no need to rush with the deal. They have not taken us in confidence. At the moment, we are on our own. We are not with UPA. The prime minister spoke to me this morning. I will be meeting him (Manmohan Singh) tomorrow in Delhi. After meeting him, I will decide on the trust vote. I will take an unbiased decision after discussing with the MPs.”
Tek Lal Mahato — Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM): “I have assured Sonia Gandhi of support during trust vote. Shibu Soren has not said anything but we are with the UPA. We just want good for Jharkhand. We have not asked for ministerial berths in return.”
Munnawar Hasan – Samajwadi Party MP who has joined the Bahujan Samaj Party: “The deal is anti-Muslim and we are against it more so because it is being promoted by the US, which is an anti-Muslim country.”
“In fact on July 10, one Rupesh Kumar who identified himself as a chartered accountant of a company, offered me a bribe of Rs.25 crore (Rs.250 million) to vote in favour of the government.”
“Mayawati has my unconditional support. There are a few others who are ready to vote against the UPA government and support Mayawati. She will soon become the leader of the nation. There are others in the Samajwadi party who are with me.”
Pranab Mukherjee – External Affairs Minister: “The Congress is not into horse-trading… this is a malicious propaganda against the party. We (the UPA) will be getting a clear mandate. The democratic process is underway.”