'We have the means to put purchasing power in the hands of the rural population.'

 - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on rural employment.

'Religious scholars should condemn the terrorists as people not worthy to be known as Muslims.'

 - India's Vice-President Hamid Ansari while inaugurating an international conference of prominent Muslims in New Delhi.

'The America of today has its roots in the India of Mahatma Gandhi…His teachings and ideals shared with Martin Luther King Jr on his 1959 pilgrimage to India transformed American society through our civil rights movement.'

 - President Barack Obama on Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary (October 2), celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence.

' If Obama had declined the award saying there is a lot he needs to achieve before he would feel worthy of it, he would have greatly enhanced his reputation.'

 - The Times of India view on President Obama being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

'It could be that the 2016 Games are the last Olympics in the history of mankind.'

 - Shintaro Ishihara, Governor of Tokyo, warning that global climate change could prevent the world from holding future Olympics.

'I thought it was a joke. I have friends who play practical jokes. I complimented him on his Swedish accent.'

 - India-born scientist Venkatraman Ramakrishnan on the phone call he received from the Swedish Nobel Committee informing him of his winning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Venkatraman, 58, was jointly awarded the prize for his work on proteins that control life.

'I think I'd rather get run over by a train.'

 - Madonna, the famous singer, dancer and actress, on being asked if she plans to marry again. She and film director Guy Ritchie divorced recently.

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