I am committed and content to work for the people of Odisha. I have no national ambitions whatsoever.

Odisha is a peaceful state; the people will not stand for violence in a democracy.

International carriers need to be given greater role in our skies on all routes like several other large countries to make our aviation industry more efficient and competitive and prevent arbitrary pricing by monopolies.

I get maximum satisfaction in seeing the happiness of poor people.

Odisha faces natural calamities almost every year. The assistance we get from the Centre is mostly for temporary restoration of infrastructure. We have to spend a lot from state's own funds to work for the long-term. This puts too much stress on our finances. Precisely for this reason, Odisha should be considered for special category status.

As far as reading is concerned, I like historical and political books and works of art.

The women of Odisha will lead the way in women empowerment in India.

During the launch of the 'Ama Gaon, Ama Bikash' scheme, I directly spoke to women representatives from the interior villages of Sambalpur and Narayanpatna. From the way the women explained the issues pertaining to their villages and their collective needs, I understood that women empowerment has reached even the grassroots of the democratic setup.

Healthy Odisha - Happy Odisha. Let us continue our endeavour to build a prosperous and strong state.

I think everyone should be concerned about people's sensitivities and feelings.

The Beatles were here in the 1960s, with their wives, at the Maharshi's ashram. And they wanted my advice on various matters in India.

There is a great deal of reward when you do good work and people see how successful that work is and the happiness it brings to them.

Federalism is an intrinsic part of our constitutional set-up.

Empowerment of women is the empowerment of the nation. No household, no society, no state, no country has ever moved forward without empowering its women.

Stephen Colbert used to be my friend. I even signed the poor baby's cast when he hurt his hand.

I don't care how popular I am. I'm not putting myself out there to run for higher office.

Nothing surprises me. One thing I don't ever have in my world is surprise.

The country needs more than one-party dominance, as much as I believe the Democratic Party is the party for the middle class... We need to have a marketplace of ideas.

If people don't have a job, they're not too interested in how you intend for them to have a job. They want to see results.

I don't know any member of Congress who ever said, 'I'm satisfied with the communication that we have from the White House.'

A successful marriage is a decision. You decide it's going to work. You can't always be there, but you have to be there enough. And you have to make sure you are where you're needed most.

Politicians are trying to attract people to issues.

Putin is going to do what Putin is going to do.

My brother is the former mayor of Baltimore.