Ministers Of External Affairs India

"When we showed Sonia Gandhi the images of the ‘incident’, she started crying bitterly and with folded hands, she said please do not show me these pictures. Immediately go and speak to the Wazir-e-Azam (Dr Manmohan Singh) and discuss the mater. I talked to the PM and it was decided that the matter will be further investigated."

"Everything may look normal in Kashmir. Everything may look normal here in Delhi, after the election results. The fact remains that under the surface, there is something. What’s happening in Bangladesh can happen here. The spread of our country prevents things from blowing up in the manner in which they have blown up in Bangladesh."

"The government's priority remains the earliest termination of this hijacking and the earliest return of the passengers, crew and aircraft."

"We do not believe that bilateral relations between India and Pakistan ought to or can be held hostage by any single issue."

"This summit has set the tone for future relations with Pakistan, ... The caravan of peace has continued its march and on some auspicious day it will reach its destination."

"We will pick up the threads from the visit of the president of Pakistan. We will increasingly endeavor to revise the vision of the relationship of peace, friendship and cooperation with Pakistan."

"“In spite of the division of the country all of us Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs--have to live together. Let us, therefore, live in peace so that the poor and the down-trodden may in the new freedom that we have achieved get enough to eat and to cover their naked bodies, leading to a happier and fuller life.”"

"In the true sense, we are all Hindus although we may practise different religions. ... It is the distinction between Hindus and non-Hindus that has created all the trouble in this country and has even led to the partition of our motherland. ... If the distinction were to go then there will be no conflict between Hindus and non-Hindus."

"The unceremonious exit of Mr. M.C. Chagla from her Cabinet and the relaxation of the rule prohibiting polygamy among Muslim employees of the Central Government are but two examples of the concessions she [Indira Gandhi] is making to Muslim communalism."

"To say that the BJP is communal is absolutely absurd and without any basis."

"I am a Hindu because I trace my ancestry to my Aryan forefathers."

"I appeal to the Muslim community ... to join the national mainstream.... What we want is that all of us... should ... feel and think as Indians and should not get into separate compartments."

"One of the issues that I discussed with (Sri Lankan Foreign) Minister (Mangala) Samaraweera was the importance of information technology for the development of both our countries [referring to India and Sri Lanka], and to take advantage of the opportunities that the new digital world offers"

"The ‘Digital India’ initiative is one of the key measures to make government transparent, responsive and citizen friendly. The objective is to create a digitally empowered society and infuse technology into government, healthcare and education. From creating infrastructure to services, from manufacture of products to human resource development, from enabling citizens to promoting digital literacy, ‘Digital India’ aims to impact all aspects of life in India."

"The President recalled the very warm ties that exist between the two countries build on civilisational links of thousands of years. We felt that there are enormous opportunities of cooperation between the two countries in the field of information and digital technologies"

"He [Mr. Chandra Shekar] has got a lot to do to pull the country out of the mess that Mr V.P.Singh government had plunged it into."

"I am 10 per cent politician and 90 per cent human being."

"I believe in expressing my view openly and in a forthright manner. After assuming the new responsibility, I will think over the matter and crystalize my approach. My government will do everything to take the country forward in all spheres."

"It is a job of a police inspector to monitor it."

"There comes a time when one has to choose whether to kneel and be blessed, or to stand up and be counted. I choose the latter."

"There were five issues involved in Bharat Yatra—scarcity of proper food and drinking water, primary education, basic health amenities and fifth - social harmony. I had planned in my mind that we would work in 350 backward districts of the country. In order to perform this task I had decided to quit the post of the President of the Janata Party. But I could not do this. After the Yatra I became trapped in the politics of opposition. That was my mistake."

"I am a Hindu... I am proud of being a Hindu... and because of tolerance to all other religions, I consider Hinduism superior."

"Their strategy was simple. Moral domination. Nehru was a thinker. But Rajiv, Sonia, and Rahul are no intellectuals. They took a different route. They redefined morality. Secularism included. Anti-Congress was new immoral. Pro-Hindu became anti-Muslim. India was morally polarized. Morality is subjective. No one can say with guarantee what is pure morality. Masses were forced to choose between moral standards (Secularism, unity in diversity, inclusive etc.) and quality of life (development). People who wanted quality of life were made to feel guilty. Hindus who wanted to celebrate their religious freedom were made to feel guilty. Muslims who wanted to be part of mainstream India were made to feel guilty. They filled India’s psyche with fear, hate and guilt. They hated all indigenous, grassroots thinkers. They hated Sardar Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Morarji Desai, Charan Singh, Chandrashekhar, P.V. Narsimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and now Modi. They are the land grabbers of Sainik Farms and Adarsh Societies of India. They run NGOs. They run media. They coin useless and irrelevant jargon to confuse the masses. They have designations but no real jobs. They are irrelevant NRIs who want us to see a reality which doesn’t exist. They want a plebiscite in Kashmir. They defend stone-pelters. They want Maoists to participate in mainstream politics. They want Tejpal to be freed. Yaqub to be pardoned. But they want Modi to be hanged. They are the hijackers of national morality. Secularism included. They are the robbers of Indian treasury. They are the brokers of power. They are the pimps of secularism. They are the Intellectual Mafia."

"In 1988 his [Shekhar’s] Janata Party merged with several other opposition parties to form the Janata Dal Party under the leadership of V.P. Singh, who subsequently became prime minister. After leading an internal rebellion against Singh, Shekhar broke with the Janata Dal Party on 5 November 1990, and quickly formed the Janata Dal–Socialist faction. With the support of Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress (I) Party, he replaced Singh as India’s prime minister on 10 November 1990, as head of a weak minority government. He resigned on 6 March 1991, after the Congress (I) Party withdrew its support, but he remained in office as a caretaker until national legislative elections could be held in May and June; he was eventually replaced by P. V. Narasimha Rao."

"He was a leading member of the Socialist Party before he joined the ruling Congress Party in 1964 Shekhar split with the leader of the Congress Party, Indira Gandhi, in 1975 and spent time in prison during the national emergency she subsequently declared."

"Immorality and opportunism holds sway in public life. Unprincipled alliances are being forged going against the verdict of the people. This alliance is not going to last long."

"I do not expect any problems to arise because we do not expect Mr. Chandra Shekhar to do anything that is inconsistent with Congress ideology and policies."

"A Prime Minister with no small amount of the revolutionary spirit in him, Chandra Shekhar entered politics by joining the Socialist Movement in 1951. This was after completing a Masters degree in Political Science from Allahabad University."

"A fierce critic of the politics of personalities and power, Chandra Shekhar stood for that of ideology and social change and the fact he was arrested (under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act) in 1975, despite being nominally a member of the ruling party, possibly says it all."

"I am satisfied to invite Chandrashekar as the new Prime Minister of India. I hope the government will least the end of the full term of the Lok Sabha."

"A strident socialist, he made his presence felt in the political life of our country in the past four decades but with the unique distinction of not having held any ministerial office."

"A compulsive dissenter, he had all along remained outside the precincts of governmental power – a fact that has made him an enigma."

"A fire brand in his student days, he led the 1949 movement against increase in fees and the agitation of 1953 for autonomy of student unions."

"Within months of the baptism in the Indian National Congress, he joined hands with Mohan Dharia and Krishna Kant to form a ginger group in November 1965 to promote a leftist, but anti-communist line.The trio soon came to be known as Your Turks, which struck with them."

"When in Congress, he, along with the other Young Turks, actively promoted bank nationalization and the abolition of privy purses and privileges."

"His government had come to power at a time when the country was facing many challenges and each one must come forward in our endevour to overcome them. The first task was for him was to end the prevailing strife and bring about peace and harmony."

"He is a man of destiny and will become one of the makers of new India"

"After his student days in Allahabad University, he joined the socialist movement in the early 1950s. An associate of Acharya Narendra Dev, Chandrashekhar was with the Praja Socialist Party for long and was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1962."

"Called a "young turk" for his conviction and courage, he stood against politics of personality and stoutly opposed policies of liberalisation, reflecting the socialist ideology he strongly espoused.The other 'young turks', who formed the 'ginger group' in the Congress in the fight for egalitarian policies, included leaders like Mohan Dharia and Ram Dhan who were also imprisoned during Emergency. Feroze Gandhi also used to be a part of the 'ginger group' during the undivided Congress days."

"As a Member of Parliament, he made a mark opposing policies he thought were harmful and was strongly against growth of monopolies with state patronage."

"He was known for his flawless oratory and a matter-of-fact style in which he held no punches. He would be hard-hitting in his criticism when occasion demanded."

"He was strongly opposed to getting loans from international financial institutions but the crisis during his time left the country with no choice but to fully embrace World Bank and IMF and the liberalisation policies."

"His political thought and concern found genesis in the socialist movement and ideology. Gandhi had been a deep influence on his ideas and personality. He was an erudite leader. He edited an important journal of the socialist movement, "Sangharsh", which was initially brought out by his political guru Acharya Narendra Dev. He edited another journal Young Indian in Hindi as well as in English. In the 19 months of his imprisonment during the Emergency he wrote a diary, published in two parts under the title "Meri Jail Diary"."

"He was not and never claimed to be a theorist of socialism like JP, Lohia and Acharya Narendra Dev. He, on the other hand, was a practical politician within the parameters of socialist ideology. In his own way he was a thinker who expressed his ideas as a writer, as an editor and as a leader during the long span of his political carrier. The consistency and concerns of his ideas are remarkable and always directed in the interests of the downtrodden. Due to his defiant and rebellious temperament he earned the title of ‘Young Turk’."

"He planned a Yatra from Puri in Orissa to Porbander in Gujarat. An effort was also made in this direction with the support of four former Prime Ministers. It becomes evident from these concrete ventures and programmes that his protest against globalisation was not merely verbal."

"As India's representative, he personally met with Saddam Hussein. His hug with Hussein during the meeting remains a matter of controversy."

"He was a member of the Club of Madrid, an independent non-profit organization composed of 81 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from 57 different countries."

"He was an avid lover of Urdu language. He was appointed as the Chairman of Gujral Committee in the 1970s. The committee was envisaged the task of finding means and ways to promote the Urdu language and to provide adequate facilities for Urdu speaking people in educational, cultural and administrative matters....Gujral will long be remembered as a seasoned diplomat, articulate speaker and a true champion of the masses. MANUU owes a lot to this inspiring personality."

"It fell to my lot to orient our foreign policy during the period of bewilderingly rapid changes wherein one kind of world was ushered out and another kind was ushered in."

"The United Front Government’s neighbourhood policy now stands on five basic principles: First, with the neighbours like Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka, India does not ask for reciprocity but gives all that it can in good faith and trust. Secondly, no South Asian country will allow its territory to be used against the interest of another country of the region. Thirdly, none will interfere in the internal affairs of another. Fourthly, all South Asian countries must respect each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. And finally, they will settle all their disputes through peaceful bilateral negotiations. These five principles, scrupulously observed, will, I am sure, recast South Asia’s regional relationship, including the tormented relationship between India and Pakistan, in a friendly, cooperative mould."