Quote Unquote (Spotlight Weekly)

"We will announce the elections soon. It does not matter if Girijababu (Koirala) boycotts the elections. Rather, my party will get his vote as well."

Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, in Rajdhani.

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"To go for the elections at this time is to become fully submissive to 'regression'. Congress will not submit itself to the regression at any cost. The deadline given by the government to the Maoists to come for the talks is meaningless. Whether the deadline ends or not does not matter."

Girija Prasad Koirala, president of Nepali Congress and former prime minister, addressing party cadres.

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"The political parties are dragging the court to settle political disputes."

Hari Prasad Sharma, newly appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, in Kantipur.

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"The party was well aware of the price hike beforehand. It is not wise (for the party leaders) to speak to please the mass."

Raghuji Pant, Minister for Labor and Transport Management, in an interaction program.

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"It is a baseless rumor that the government is going to be toppled. Why should it when it is performing its duties well. All four parties have fully supported the government and it is working as per the 43-point common minimum program."

Amrita Agrahari, General Secretary of Nepal Sadbhavana Party (NSP), in Jana Astha.

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"All the political parties have already concurred on the agenda of revival of the parliament. Only the prime minister is scared to recommend it to the King."

Ram Chandra Poudel, senior leader of Nepali Congress and former deputy prime minister, in a face to face program.

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"People should not be made to suffer for the sake of one corporation."

Gokarna Raj Bista, president of National Democratic Youth Association, a sister organization of UML, criticizing the government decision to hike the price of petroleum products, in Deshantar.

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"We will not pay the revenue unless the government rolls back its decision to hike the VAT rate."

Surendra Bir Malakar, vice president of Nepal Chamber of Commerce.

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"The government needed the money to give relief to the employees. We will not rollback the decision."

Bharat Mohan Adhikary, deputy prime minister and finance minister, in Nepal Samacharpatra.

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