I am proud to be an Indian: PM

New Delhi, Aug 23 (UNI) ''I am Indian and proud to be an Indian.'' This was how Prime Minister Manmohan Singh began his 45-minute reply in the Lok Sabha to a debate on the Indo-US nuclear deal.

This was perhaps in response to a query to Mr Vijendrapal Singh (BJP) who had wanted to know why the Prime Minister had, in his reply to a similar debate in the Rajya Sabha last week, chosen to mention the name of master strategician Machiavelli of Italy when he could have quoted someone from within the country like Chanakya.

Dr Singh had quoted a chapter from Machiavelli's noted work 'The Prince' to buttress his arguments in favour of the pact.

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee expunged certain remarks of Mr Vijendrapal Singh, stating ''she is an honourable member of this House and that is sufficient for us.'' UNI SN AK PC2134