In this day and age all of us have multiple identities, and one of the great challenges is to be able to articulate them in such a manner that there is no internal contradiction ... At one level I am a global citizens ... At another level I am an Indian citizen and have tried throughout my life to fulfil my responsibilities to the country and serve it in various capacities at home and abroad ... At yet another level, I come from Jammu & Kashmir ... I consider it my duty to articulate the aspirations and requirements of the entire State as well as the individual regions that constitute it.

On the level of language, my mother tongue is Dogri and I belong to the Dogra community ... I have striven for many years to get "Dogri" included in the Eighth Scheduled. However, this does not in any way imply that I do not have equal regard for other languages whether it be my State language "Urdu", the national language "Hindi", the world language "English" or ... Sanskrit.

... In the field of religion I am a Hindu ... My being a Hindu in no way implies that I do not have reverence for other religions ... At the level of caste and community, I am a Kshatriya ... Every caste and community in India had made a vital contribution towards the multi-layered texture of Indian civilisation, and that no one class or caste could claim monopoly ... Regarding the representation of Kshatriya in the Union cabinet ... a point has been repeatedly made to me by friends around the country (that) the present and the last two governments at the Centre have not included a single Kshatriya at the Cabinet level, and this has understandably led to widespread resentment in the community ... It is unfair to expect any one community to renounce its claim ...                                         (Source: The Pioneer, 14 November, 1998)