Why can8217;t I win Nobel, asks Phoolan

April 20: An enraged Phoolan Devi today asked that if Nelson Mandela and Yasser Arafat could win the Nobel Peace Prize, there was no reason why she couldn8217;t win either.

At a press meet organised by the Phoolan Devi International Defence Committee in Mumbai to announce Phoolan8217;s renomination by a British MP for the Nobel Peace Prize, the former bandit queen explained why she thought she deserved the award. She contented that in the Ramayana and Mahabharata, the Bharatiya nari was accorded great respect. 8220;Humara utna samman mat kijiye, lekin thoda to kijiye,8221; she said. Dr Vidya Sagar Anand, president, Phoolan Devi committee justified his organisation8217;s decision to get her renominated. 8220;The Nobel Prize is given to anyone who has contributed to world peace. Since Phoolan gave up the gun for the ballot box, she deserves to get the award. If she8217;s chosen, the award will be a tribute to countless voiceless Indian women who suffer in silence,8221; he said.