Patil condemns Bangalore blasts, promises all help

Home Minister Shivraj Patil on Friday condemned the serial blasts in Bangalore, the country's IT capital, promising all help to the state government in tracking down the perpetrators।

One person was killed and six people were injured when a series of bombs fitted with timer devices went off in the space of 45 minutes।

"I strongly condemn today's blasts in Bangalore। I convey my sympathies to the affected families and pray for speedy recovery of those injured in the blasts,” he said in a statement.

“The ministry is in close touch with the Karnataka government। Such incidents will not deter the government from pursuing its policy of dealing with anti-national elements in a resolute manner."

Home secretary Madhukar Gupta said there were seven low-intensity blasts spread over five locations in the city in which a woman had died।

“All the concerned agencies like the bomb disposal squad are on the job। We can't say now who did it any why. We will need time to figure the details of this incident. Investigations are on and it will take time,” he said.

“Nuts and bolts were planted in the explosives used,” he said।

Gupta refused to say whether state authorities had specific intelligence inputs on the blasts but said that he held a recent review meeting in which Karnataka officials were present।

The first blast took place at Madivala checkpost followed by explosions in three other places, including a park opposite the well-known Mallya Hospital, police commissioner Shankar Bidri said।

The police commissioner said the blasts appeared to be the acts of people who wanted to terrorise the Karnataka capital।

"We will investigate and arrest the suspects," Bidri told reporters। "We are on complete alert."

He appealed to people not to panic and to go about with their routine work।

However, most shops and shopping malls immediately shut down as news of the blasts spread।

This is not the first time that the southern state of Karnataks has been hit by such a terror attack। In December 2005, the militant outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba carried out an attack inside the prestigious Indian Institute of Science campus killing a scientist and injuring five others.

Two years back, police foiled a terrorist plot to attack the state legislature building in Bangalore after two suspected terrorists were shot down in Mysore।

The two suspected militants were carrying a laptop computer, a satellite telephone, an AK-47 assault rifle and one Pakistani passport. According to the police they also had the plans of the recently built state assembly building in Bangalore.

Three BJP MPs file complaint with LS Secretariat

Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh's name figures in a formal complaint filed on Friday by the three BJP MPs who had alleged on the floor of Lok Sabha that they were offered Rs three crore each for abstaining in Tuesday's trust vote।

The three MPs -- Ashok Argal, Mahavir Bhagora and Fagan Singh Kulste -- replied in the affirmative when asked whether they have named the SP leader in their complaint to the Lok Sabha Secretariat।

The complaint was filed before PDT Achary, Secretary General of Lok Sabha। The Secretariat had on Thursday asked the three MPs to give a formal complaint listing out the sequence of events.

BJP leaders VK Malhotra and Ravi Shanker Prasad accompanied the three MPs when they went to file their complaint।

However, Malhotra refused to reveal the contents of the complaint।

In a communication to the three MPs, the Secretariat had asked them to present their version officially to enable it to take the case forward।

The Lok Sabha had witnessed unprecedented drama on July 22 when the BJP members walked into the House and flashed wads of currency notes claiming that they were given by a Samajwadi Party leader as bribe for absenting themselves from the trust vote।

Speaker Somnath Chatterjee had said the House that nobody will be spared if found guilty।

Describing the incident when one of the MPs displayed bundles of currency allegedly given to him as bribe as "most unfortunate and a very sad day in the history of Parliament", the Speaker promised that all possible steps would be taken by him as custodian of the House.

Condom ads need certification

The Madurai bench of the Madras High court today directed condom manufacturers to get the certification of the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) for their advertisements and the wrappers।

Justices A K Ganguly and P Jyothimani said, "Condom manufacturers cannot market their products indiscriminately with obscene visuals, either on the wrapper or in advertisements issued in print or visual media।"

Even the right to carry on business, under Article19 (1)(g) of the Constitution prescribed that such right is subject to reasonable restrictions, which could be imposed in the interest of decency and morality, they said।

The judge's felt that only ASCI a self-regulatory voluntary organisation, was better positioned to deal with such cases।

Hindustan Latex was one of the condom manufacturer listed as a respondent in the case।

The Petitioner sought a direction on banning obscene pictures, as they create a wrong impression about a condom, which is a medical product.

Indian MPs hold confidence debate

The Indian parliament is debating a vote of confidence in the Congress party-led government that could decide the fate of a nuclear deal with the US।

The vote comes after the government's left-wing allies withdrew their support in protest against the controversial civilian nuclear accord।

Observers expect that Tuesday's vote following the debate will be close।

If the government loses the vote, India faces early elections and the nuclear would be under threat।

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says the government will "prove its majority"।

He told parliament he had always acted in the interest of the nation।

"Every single decision, every policy and initiative we have taken, was taken in the fullest confidence that we are doing so in the best interests of our people," he said।

Launching the debate, the leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), LK Advani, said: "We are not against nuclear energy। We are not against a very close relationship with America.

"But we would never like India to become party to an agreement which is unequal।

"This deal makes us a subservient partner। It makes India a junior partner."

Under the accord, India, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, would gain access to US civilian nuclear technology and fuel।

In return its civilian nuclear facilities would be opened to inspection। Nuclear weapons sites would remain off-limits.

The communists fear the accord could give the US too much influence over Indian foreign and nuclear policy।

After days of political bargaining and arm-twisting, the government and the opposition have headed into the debate still uncertain about who will win, the BBC's Chris Morris in Delhi says।

With the left withdrawing support, the government can rely on only 226 members in the 543-seat parliament, and needs 46 more to be absolutely sure of a majority।

Congress and the BJP have a nearly equal number of seats, with 153 MPs and 130 respectively।

The Congress party hopes it will get the backing of the regional Samajwadi party and other smaller parties to help it win।

India's media is awash with reports of alleged defections and desertions among MPs ahead of the vote।

"It's snatch-and-dash to the finish," headlined The Times Of India newspaper।

"Vote looks neck and neck," said The Asian Age। "Contest tightens, situation volatile," reported The Hindu.

Communist leader Prakash Karat said the government should junk the nuclear deal if its loses the vote।

"We wish to warn the government that in case you lose the trust vote, don't try and push the nuclear deal। The country will revolt," he said.

The opposition opposes the deal for a variety of reasons।

Indian communists simply want no partnership at all with the United States, while the Hindu nationalist BJP fears that the deal could compromise India's ability to test nuclear weapons in the future।

And smaller parties, on whom both government and opposition leaders have suddenly lavished attention, have been trying to calculate which side of the political divide suits them best।

India is under pressure from Washington to sign the accord before the US presidential election in November।

Last week, Indian officials met members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the world nuclear regulatory body, in Vienna to discuss plans to safeguard India's civilian nuclear facilities।

The IAEA's approval of the plan is a key condition for enacting the deal।

If the IAEA signs the agreement, the deal will go to the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which regulates global civilian nuclear trade, for approval।

It must then by approved by the US Congress before President Bush can sign it into law।

Critics of the deal fear assistance to India's civil programme could free-up additional radioactive material for bomb-making purposes.

N-deal: US ready to do business even with minority govt.

Washington (PTI): Ahead of the crucial trust vote that will decide the fate of the UPA government, the US on Monday said it will move forward on the nuclear deal with any dispensation in New Delhi -- even if it is in minority।

Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Richard Boucher said Bush administration will have no problem in dealing with a minority government as "minority governments are common around the world।"

"I don't have them off the top of my head, but I mean, minority governments are common around the world," he said।

"You can't say, 'Oh, well, we are going to stop dealing with you till the next election or until some new coalition or something। That's not for us to say," Boucher said commenting on the future of the nuclear deal if the UPA government fails to win the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha.

He said the US will continue to work with any legitimate government in India New Delhi to push forward the deal।

"If they have a legitimate government -- people who are empowered to run the government -- that's who we'll deal with," Boucher said।

"In terms of the United States and India, we deal with the legally constituted government of India -- whoever is running that government at the time, that's who we sign agreements with। So, that's not a problem for us," he said.

He said the Bush administration was ready to "go as far as" possible to see conclusion of the deal।

"We are going to work with the Indians, we are going to work with the Congress and we are going to take this as far as we can go," Boucher said।

"We are very excited by the prospect, we'll see what happens in the confidence vote, but however far the Indians could go, we are going to try to take it that far or further। So, that's what we are going to do," he said.

Asked about whether Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was little too late in pushing ahead with the deal, Boucher said it may not be "too late।"

"I guess what I'll say is it's never too late। This is not a deal between a government and another government. It's a deal between the United States and India -- it's good for India, it's good for the United States."

On whether main opposition BJP's contention that without parliamentary approval the UPA government does not have the moral right to conclude the nuclear deal, Boucher said "on our side, there is no legal problem or moral problem"।

"On their side there may not be a legal question, but there's always political questions and they're going to have to figure that one out themselves

"(But) As long as they are a duly constituted government, we are happy to deal with them," he said।

On the timeframe left for the 110th Congress to clear the deal, Boucher said the administration would try to push it and if the present Congress could not ratify it then the new Congress would take it up।

"As we move through, if we can move it to the point where the president can certify all the things that he has to certify, take the package and send it to Congress, we'll do that। If the Congress is in a position to act on it, I am sure they'll try to do that.

"So, I think, everybody wants to take it as far as we can. I can't promise what the US Congress will do, but if we take it to some point and times expires on this Congress, then the new Congress will have to take it up -- that's all you can say. So, that's our pledge."

UNPA, BSP, Left parties to vote against UPA Govt

New Delhi, 20: july The opposition to the Manmohan Singh Government gained further momentum ahead of the trust vote with the UNPA, BSP and the Left parties jointly declaring their resolve to go for the kill।

"Our one-point programme is to oust the UPA Government on July 22," declared BSP supremo Mayawati in the presence of CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and CPI leader A B Bardhan as also TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu।

Echoing similar sentiments, Karat, who has vowed to make the Congress-led coalition bite dust on the issue of nuclear deal, said addressing a joint press conference, "we don't want the Government to remain in power after July 22।"

These parties have a combined strength of 85 MPs in the Lok Sabha।

Mayawati, who has emerged as the focal point in the moves to oust UPA Government and is being talked about as the next Prime Ministerial candidate by some parties like TRS and TDP, said that the parties would decide on the future strategy on July 23, a day after the trust vote।

The press conference came at the end of the intense consultations among UNPA leaders, Mayawati and Left parties on a day when there were good tidings for the combination with RLD supremo Ajit Singh declaring his support to their cause।

Atmosphere at the deliberations was buoyant and Mayawati was strident in her criticism of arch detractor Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh of the Samajwati Party, who till the other day were the leading light of the UNPA।

INLD's Ajay Chautala, AGP's Brindavan Goswami, Jharkhand leader Babulal Marandi and CPI leader D Raja were present at the meeting which devised the strategy to topple the UPA Government.

India lobbies on nuclear safety

Indian officials have met members of the world nuclear regulatory body in Vienna to discuss plans to safeguard India's civilian nuclear facilities।

The International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) approval of the plan is a key condition for enacting a nuclear deal between India and the US।

Left-wing parties in India withdrew support for the governing coalition in protest against the deal।

The government says it is needed to meet soaring energy demands।

After Friday's meeting diplomats refused to comment publicly on how it went।

Delhi is under pressure from Washington to sign the accord before the US presidential elections in November।

India has to sign a "safeguards agreement" with the IAEA before it can go ahead with the deal।

Under the terms of the accord, India would get access to US civilian nuclear technology and fuel।

In return, Delhi would open its civilian nuclear facilities to inspection - but its nuclear weapons sites would remain off-limits।