The Congress is not a problem to us but one thing is certain though: the Muslims, through Mulayam Singh Yadav and his Samajwadi Party - despite his having done little for them - voted for the Congress, although they had been helped so much by my government.

We did things for them. We gave them a completion certificate for the Haj House; we allowed them to hold their Ijtema; we gave them special concessions on the Floor Space Index (FSI) for mosques. They were happy. Very happy. The Imams - not the Jama Masjid one – also came here (his residence, Matoshree) to tell us that they were so filled up with emotion. I thought then that a big chunk of the Muslim vote would come to us. But it didn't.

.. You are not supposed to do Hindutva propaganda. The Election Commission moves around with video cameras. Do you mean to say that I am a fool when every one of us, including all my Shiv Sainiks, are toiling so hard, just to be disqualified? But (otherwise) where is the question of going soft (on Hindutva)?

I have never appeased the Muslims. Never ... There were 2.5 crore Muslims in India during Partition. Now they are more than 15 crore - a population larger than that of Pakistan. So what are you going to do with them? Not all Muslims are traitors. So is it not better to have an understanding and develop brotherly relations with them? I want Muslims to accept India as their motherland, too. I will not accept those who have their body in Hindustan and hearts in Pakistan. That kind must quit the country.

So far as the Babari Masjid site goes, it was the duty of the Narasimha Rao government to solve the crisis. Now it is six years since the demolition and if you are unable to build either a temple or a mosque, then why not build a monument to Mangal Pandey, the boy who fired the first shot for azadi, to mark the golden jubilee of India's Independence? That should be acceptable to both Hindus and Muslims.

... If Advani can build the temple, let him try. I will support it, of course. (My) idea (for a national monument) does not mean we cannot claim our rights in our own motherland ... (Source: The Indian Express, 22 March, 1998)