Japan launches new, cheaper rocket

TOKYO: Japan successfully launched a new rocket on Saturday that it hopes will be a cheaper and more efficient way of sending satellites into space.

The three-stage Epsilon lifted off from a space center on Japan's southern main island of Kyushu, following a two-week postponement. An earlier launch last month was aborted 19 seconds before a planned liftoff due to a computer glitch.

About an hour after the liftoff, its payload — the SPRINT-A, the first space telescope designed to observe other planets — was successfully put into orbit, said Mari Harada, a spokeswoman at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

The liftoff was broadcast live on television networks, with footage showing a white, pencil-shaped rocket shot into the sky from the launch pad after spurting gray smoke and orange flash.

The agency declared it was a success.

"It was so thrilled that I was almost speechless," JAXA president Naoki Okumura told a televised news conference. "The challenge we had to face makes the excitement even greater."

The Epsilon is the first new rocket design for Japan since the H2A was introduced in 2001. The H2A remains Japan's primary rocket but officials hope the Epsilon will lead to improvements in the more costly H2A program. Japan hopes to be more competitive in the international rocket-launching business.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the success of a genuinely homemade rocket was a fruit of Japan's expertise and technology in space development.

"It demonstrates Japanese space technology is highly reliable," he said in a statement. He added that the success would lead to a self-sustainable space transportation system, further space utilization and to help Japan's economic growth.

JAXA said the Epsilon costs about 3.8 billion yen ($40 million), one-third the cost of the H2A. The rocket is about 24 meters (80 feet) tall, half the size of the H2A, and can be assembled and readied for launch in just one week, one-sixth of the time required for the H2A.

The Epsilon rocket, which uses a solid-fuel propellant, is meant to expand the scope of space missions Japan hopes to perform. It also streamlines the launch process.

JAXA says the rocket's extensive use of computer technology means monitoring work that once required a full-staff control room can be done essentially on a single laptop.

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180 children fall sick after having meal at school in China

BEIJING: At least 180 students fell ill after having milk and cookies at an elementary school in central China's Hunan Province.

Students from a school in Xinhua County were hospitalised after they reported having headaches, stomachache and vomiting in the last four days, state-run Xinhua news agency reported today.

They have been sent to local hospitals for treatment. So far 168 students had been discharged from hospital, while 12 remain for further observation, the report quoted county government as saying.

The milk and cookies supplied to the students have been sealed and samples have been sent to the provincial disease control and prevention centre for investigation, it said.

According to the county government, preliminary investigation shows that milk might have caused the incident.

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

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PM hopes Chandigarh becomes India's first slum-free city

CHANDIGARH: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday hoped Chandigarh would soon become India's first slum-free city, as he handed over keys to newly-built flats to slum dwellers.

The Prime Minister arrived in the city on Saturday to hand over documents and keys to 10 flats to beneficiaries in a housing colony in Dhanas area of the union territory under the city's slum rehabilitation scheme.

Addressing a gathering, the prime minister said rapid urbanisation was putting pressure on urban centres.

"We have over 10 crore people living in slums across the country. Urban centres are under pressure from rapid urbanisation," Manmohan Singh said.

Complimenting the Chandigarh administration for constructing the flats, he said the rehabilitation scheme will help make Chandigarh slum-free.

Punjab governor Shivraj Patil, Haryana governor Jagannath Pahadia, Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda accompanied the prime minister to the site.

A total of 8,448 flats will be handed over to slum dwellers as part of the scheme.

Built under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewable Mission (JNNURM) by the Chandigarh Housing Board, the flats will accommodate over 40,000 people.

The union ministry of housing and urban poverty alleviation has approved construction of around 25,000 flats for rehabilitation of the slum-dwellers in Chandigarh.

The project is being implemented with central assistance of Rs 436.30 crore.

The Chandigarh administration is contributing Rs 585.15 crore towards the balance funding of the project through its budget sanctioned by the union home ministry.

Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, is a 114-square-km union territory. It was conceived and built in the 1950s to showcase a modern, resurgent India.

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PM Manmohan Singh to visit Muzaffarnagar on Monday

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will visit Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh on Monday for an on-the-spot assessment in the district that witnessed deadly communal riots about a week ago.

The Prime Minister will take stock of the situation during the visit, PMO sources said on Saturday.

He is expected to discuss the situation with chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in the wake of riots that have claimed 47 lives so far and may visit hospitals where the injured are admitted.

Singh had condemned the violence and expressed his deep anguish over the loss of lives. He had spoken to the chief minister and assured all required help from the Centre in dealing with the situation.

Singh also has sanctioned Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for the seriously injured in the clashes from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund.

Against the backdrop of riots in Muzaffarnagar, the Centre has convened a meeting of National Integration Council (NIC) on September 23 that is expected to focus on communal harmony and related aspects.

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Angela Merkel: No alliance with new anti-euro party

BERLIN: German Chancellor Angela Merkel is making clear her conservatives won't consider an alliance with a new anti-euro party if it enters parliament in next week's election.

The upstart Alternative for Germany party advocates an "orderly breakup" of the eurozone. Its chances of getting the 5 percent support needed to win parliamentary seats on Sept. 22 are uncertain though some polls have shown it as high as 4 percent.

If it succeeds, that could complicate Merkel's chances of continuing her center-right coalition — generating speculation about alternative alliances.

Asked in an interview on Saturday with the daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung whether she's ruling out any pact with the new party, Merkel replied: "Yes. This question really does not arise."

Merkel has insisted on tough conditions in exchange for aid to eurozone strugglers.

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Buildings, roads, bridges washed away in cloud burst in Arunachal Pradesh

ITANAGAR: Some government and private buildings and roads and bridges were washed away by flood water after cloud burst in Sebe circle of West Siang district, according to deputy speaker of the Arunachal Pradesh assembly Jomde Kena.

Kena on Thursday informed that the cloudburst which occurred in the night of September 10 last washed away roads and bridges along with several government and private buildings in the circle.

The public works department inspection bungalow in Ditten village and most parts of the NHPC-constructed Tara Mori-Sibe Rite road in Gengi have also been washed away, Kena, who is also the local MLA said in a press release.

Some dwelling houses in the area have also been washed away, while a number of people have been injured and 80 per cent of the crops in the circle have been damaged, he said.

Meanwhile, a delayed report from Aalo, the district headquarters on Thursday said that one Genga Gamlin, a resident of Gamlin village, drowned in Rimi river on September 8 last and his body is still untraceable.

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Hearing on PIL seeking CBI probe into UP violence deferred

ALLAHABAD: The Allahabad high court on Thursday deferred its hearing till November 18 on a PIL seeking CBI probe into the communal violence in Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh which has claimed 44 lives so far.

A division bench comprising chief justice Shiva Kirti Singh and justice Vikram Nath passed the order saying that the court would like to put on hold its hearing on the public interest litigation (PIL) till the probe by the judicial commission set up by the state government is completed.

The commission comprising a retired judge of the high court has been asked to submit its report to the Uttar Pradesh government within two months.

The court has also asked the state's home secretary and the director general of police to file their counter affidavits when hearing on the matter resumes on November 18.

However, no affidavit has been sought from chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and senior cabinet minister Azam Khan who have been named as respondent parties in the petition.

The PIL has been filed by one Ravendra Rajoriya, who has blamed "police inaction" and "partisan attitude of the state government" for the riots.

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Pre-paid auto stand at Chennai Central reopens after parleys

CHENNAI: The pre-paid auto stand at the Central Railway Station, which had remained closed for nearly 60 days, reopened on Thursday after hectic parleys among the railways, traffic police and railway police on Thursday.

The ongoing Metro Rail work prevented the autorickshaws from entering the pre-paid auto stand. Later a small area was earmarked for the autos, but the traffic police argued that autos would have to enter the station premises using more than three lanes whereas there was space available only for a single lane.

Passengers were the worst affected as they had to shell out exorbitant fares to hire autos parked on the EVK Periyar High Road.

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BSF seizes narcotics, arms and ammunition from India-Pakistan border

AMRITSAR: Border Security Force (BSF) foiled an attempt of armed Pakistani smugglers to smuggle heroin, arms and ammunition in India from international border with Pakistan in Ferozpur sector on Thursday morning. When challenged by BSF, the Pakistani smugglers fired at the BSF patrolling party but were forced to flee, leaving behind the narcotics and weapons, after retaliation by BSF.

BSF's Inspector General, Frontier, AK Tomar told that they had recovered 13 kilograms of heroin valued at around Rs 65 crore in the international market, 1 pistol super gold 30 bore , 2 plastic grenades marked ARGES SPL HG 14/97, 2 pistol magazines and 50 rounds.

He informed that a BSF patrolling party near Border out Post Rattoke noticed the reverberation of the border wire fencing and challenged the intruders. He informed that Pakistani smugglers fired 4 rounds at BSF jawans whereas BSF fired 14 rounds in retaliation. "During checking of the area at the first day of light we didn't find any injured person on the other side of the fence. It means the Pakistani smugglers were able to flee taking advantage of darkness," he said.

During the search operation BSF also fond a 12 feet long pipe which had 14 packets. One of the packets contained 2 grenades while rest of them had heroin. Sources informed TOI that it was believed that arms and ammunition was meant for the remnants of pro-Khalistan groups to revive militancy in the state following pressure by Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI on the Sikh terrorists taking shelter in Pakistan.

Tomar said that, "There can't be any other motive to send HG grenades across the border. There are anti-national elements who were to receive the consignment; we will conduct a deep analysis into it," adding that BSF didn't see any person on the Indian side due to crops and darkness.

He said BSF would take up the issue of smuggling narcotics, arms and ammunition into India with their counterparts of Pakistan Rangers. "They are always in denial mode, but we will certainly take up the issue with them" he said.

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Banks open this Saturday, Sunday to collect quarterly advance tax

The author has posted comments on this articlePTI | Sep 12, 2013, 08.19PM IST

NEW DELHI: Banks authorized to collect advance tax payments will function full day this coming Saturday besides being open on Sunday.

"All designated branches of authorized banks have been asked to function on 14th and 15th September, 2013 (Saturday & Sunday) to accept advance tax payments," finance ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

If any tax payer fails to pay the advance tax on these two days, then the person can make the payment on September 16, it added.

Payment of quarterly advance tax on or before 15th September, 2013 by the tax payers is a statutory requirement.

"All such tax payers who are liable to pay advance tax must make payments in the designated branches of the banks authorized to accept tax payments," it said.

The Reserve Bank has designated bank branches of State Bank of India, public sector bank branches, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank, Axis Bank, IDBI Bank and Kotak Mahindra Bank to collect advance tax payments.

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India needs remittance of ideas too from the diaspora: Jitin Prasada

NEW DELHI: India needs remittance of ideas too from the diaspora and not just the cash flow to combat the tough times and surge ahead, stressed Union minister of state for HRD, Jitin Prasada, while speaking at a NRI conference on girl education. Prasada stressed that Indian settled abroad should play an active role in nation building process and themselves see the progress made in various fields specially girl education. "Huge NRI population needs to share their ideas of various best practices they have observed all over the world. They also need to see the immense efforts and resources the government is putting in implementation of Right to Education scheme. Such exchange of ideas will eventually help make India better and stronger," he said.

Jitin emphasized on importance of education in overcoming economic disparities and communal bias. "We are committed to provide education to every Indian child. This will be the only way to overcome caste, gender and religious disparities. Good education to all paves the way for equal opportunities for all and takes away the perception of favouritism," he stressed.

British high commissioner to India, James Bevan urged the Indian government to improve the higher education standards amongst women as well. "Many families can afford higher education of only one child. Most often the boy gets that preference. That's where the government should focus," he urged. The conference also had Baroness Sandip Varma, member of House of Lords and a junior minister at Department of Energy and Climate Change who is on a official tour to India laud the emphasis of HRD ministry on girl education in her address and pledged all possible governmental support from the UK government.

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India gets WHO praise on polio front, no case in 30 months

NEW DELHI: WHO on Tuesday lauded India's efforts in eradicating polio and said the country has not reported a single case of polio in the last 30 months.

"You did it. For 30 months you have not got a single case of polio," WHO Director General Margaret Chan said while addressing the meeting of Health Ministers of South-East Asia Region in the presence of President Pranab Mukherjee.

She said India achieved the feat even as 194 countries in the world were speculating whether it can interrupt the transmission of polio.

She also urged nations of the region to adopt universal healthcare access for all.

"I want to urge countries in this region. Please continue to champion universal access to healthcare. That is the platform to deliver healthy human capital that are important for sustainable development in the future," she said.

The WHO DG complimented India's health-care initiatives in improving the health of its mothers and children and said, "This country is moving in a big way to promote better health to their women and to their children."

She also lauded the role of health minister Ghulam Nabi Azad saying, "This country is very fortunate to have a minister totally dedicated to health."

She also expressed concern over the growing incidence of heart disease which saw 9.4 million deaths every year and said high blood pressure has contributed to it.

"The scale of the problem is a challenge," she said, adding that more than one in three adults across the world are suffering from high blood pressure.

Chan was here to attend the 31st Health Ministers' meeting of South-East Asia region which comprises of almost 1.8 billion people.

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Kerala-based charity to launch two major projects in Uttarakhand

NEW DELHI: Two big charitable projects - a Rs 50-crore relief-and-rehabilitation project in flood-ravaged Uttarakhand and a programme to adopt 101 villages throughout India - were announced by Mata Amritanandamayi Math on Tuesday.

"In Uttarakhand, the Mata Amritanandamayi Math will build approximately 500 houses destroyed by the disaster," said vice-chairman of Math Swami Amritaswarupananda here.

He said these will be the totality of homes destroyed in 42 villages in the districts of Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi.

The Swami also the Math would also provide scholarships to poor children, pension to widows and handicapped people, besides building an orphanage for children who no longer have a proper care structure in place in the hill state. It will also help empower women by assisting them to set up home-based Self Help Group businesses, he said.

Besides this, the Math would also adopt 101 villages throughout India with the aim of helping them become self -reliant and thriving, the Swami said. "In order to accomplish this, the Math will draw upon the totality of the humanitarian programmes it has undertaken over the past 30 years," the Swami said of the programme called the Amrita Self-Reliant Village Programme ( Amrita Swasrayagramam).

The Amrita Self-Reliant Village Programme will ensure that each villager has a proper home and that the villages have school buildings, community halls and street-lighting, he said.

Other aspects of the programme will include establishing a free computer-oriented vocational training institute in each village and keeping children in school through the provision of a tablet-based after-school tutoring, the Swamy said.

Both the Uttarakhand reconstruction and adoption of the 101 villages programmes will be officially launched during Amritavarsham60 - the 60th birthday celebrations of Mata Amritanandamayi who is called by her followers as Amma.

The celebrations will be held in her ashram complex at Vallikkavu in Kollam in Kerala on September 26-27.

The Math has already built 45,000 houses in 75 locations throughout India as part of its ongoing Amrita Kuteeram housing project.

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Konkan Railway to run special trains for Onam, Ganpati festivals

MANGALORE: Konkan Railway will run unreserved special trains between Ratnagiri and Roha during Ganpati Festival and between New Delhi and Kochuveli during Onam festival to clear extra rush of passengers.

Trains 05009/05010 Ratnagiri - Roha unreserved passenger will run on September 11, 15, 16 and 19 Train 05010 Ratnagiri - Roha train will leave from Ratnagiri at 6.50am and reach Roha at 12.50 pm same day. Train 05009 Roha - Ratnagiri will leave from Roha at 3.30pm and reach Ratnagiri at 9pm same day. The special trains will have total 12 coaches.

Train 040906 New Delhi - Kochuveli Superfast Express will leave from New Delhi at 11.30pm on September 12 and will reach Kochuveli at 2:45am on fourth day. Train 040906 Kohcuveli - New Delhi will leave from Kochuveli at 9.40 am on September 17 and will reach New Delhi at 3.20pm on the third day.

The special trains will halt at New Delhi, Mathura, Sawai Madhopur, Kota, Nagda, Ratlam, Dahod, Godhara, Vadodara, Bharuch, Surat, Navsari, Valsad, Vapi, Vasai Road, Panvel, Roha, Chiplun, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Pernem, Madgaon, Karwar, Udupi, Manglore Jn, Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Tirur, Shoranur Jn., Thrisur, Aluva, Ernakulam Town, Kottayam, Tiruvalla, Chengannur, Kayankulam, Quilon, Kochuveli. The train will have 15 coaches.

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India-Bangladesh border to have Wagah-like retreat ceremony on Gandhi Jayanti

NEW DELHI: This Gandhi Jayanti on October 2, the India-Bangladesh border will for the first time witness a Wagah border-like retreat ceremony where drills by border forces from both the countries will accompany cultural programmes.

Home ministers of both the countries will attend the function, said sources. It would, however, not replicate the aggression expressed by forces of India and Pakistan at Wagah in Punjab during march drills as Bangladesh is a friendly country, said BSF sources.

Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde is expected to be present with his Bangladeshi counterpart at the Petrapole-Benapole border in West Bengal to inaugurate the ceremony on October 2.

The maiden ceremony, which will include ceremonial lowering of flags in the evening, will be conducted by the border guards of the two countries-- the Border Security Force (BSF) and Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) dressed in full regalia.

The BSF, on the India side, will create required infrastructure for the people to witness the event and will upgrade the logistics over a period of time.

The ceremony, according to the sources will be "friendly and refined" and will include renditions by famous Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore. It will also have participation from BSF Mahila personnel and BGB women personnel.

The total time for the cultural programme and Joint Retreat Ceremony will be around 30 minutes, out of which 18 minutes will be for cultural programme and 12 minutes for Joint Retreat Ceremony drill.

The ceremony is part of the decision to organize joint retreat ceremonies at three places in Eastern theater. It is a result of mutual deliberations during Director General level coordination conference held at Dhaka in 2011 wherein a proposal to the effect was moved as a part of confidence building measures aimed at evolving better and cordial relations between the people of both countries while at same time achieving better synergy and bonhomie between the border guarding forces. The retreat ceremony will be organized at Petrapole- Benapole Border, Changrabandha-Burimari (both west Bengal) and Akhura-Phulbari (Tripura). Initially the ceremony has been finalized for Petrapole-Benapole and subsequently, it will be organized at rest of the places in a phased manner.

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J&K high court puts blanket ban on construction at Vaishno devi base camp

JAMMU: Jammu and Kashmir high court today put a blanket ban on constructions in and around the holy town of Katra, the base camp for the pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Shri Mata Vaishno devi, after noting that illegal constructions in the area was having an adverse impact on its environment.

A division bench comprising chief justice MM Kumar and justice Hasnain Massodi passed the above orders on a PIL seeking a ban on illegal constructions.

"A blanket order would be warranted in order to control the situation so that (the government) may identify the illegal as well as legal construction.

"Till next date of hearing, all construction activities in municipal area, Katra, including around the Railway Station, by all and sundry are stopped," stated the order passed on Thursday.

The Katra base camp caters to over one crore pilgrims who throng the cave shrine annually.

The court further directed senior officials of police, including the Jammu IGP and the SSP and SP, Katra, to ensure compliance with the order.

"If any information regarding violation of this order is received then the officers shall be responsible," the court said.

The court noted that its earlier order in the matter, issued on July 30, 2013, had not been complied with while an application was filed by the government seeking an extension of two weeks to carry out the directions.

"On July 30, 2013, division bench issued directions to divisional commissioner Jammu and deputy commissioner Reasi to personally visit the spot and verify the facts regarding unauthorised constructions in... Katra.

"They may also join the CEO of Katra development authority (KDA) for an on-the-spot inspection," the court said.

In their plea for extension, the Divisional Commissioner and other officers could not undertake the visit to Katra due to disturbances and curfew in Kishtwar.

The court further said that the way the issue of illegal constructions at Katra had been dealt with at the level of the KDA CEO and others had left much to be desired.

The question of illegal constructions in violation of the master plan is pending with the KDA CEO since 2011, the court noted.

Illegal construction, meanwhile, was continuing unabated, it added, saying it had been informed that illegal structures were raised during night and on holidays in connivance with "independent officers".

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Sri Lanka to release 107 rehabilitated LTTE cadres

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will release a total of 107 rehabilitated LTTE cadres tomorrow, leaving only 232 former Tamil rebels to be reintegrated into the society.

The country's rehabilitation officials said today the 107 former Tamil Tigers would to be released tomorrow in the northern town of Vavuniya.

"They are to be released after a successful programme of vocational training," said Major General Jagath Wijethilake, Army's top rehabilitation official.

Wijethilake said out of the 11,631 former LTTE cadres who had been through rehabilitation only around 232 would be left after tomorrow's release.

They were provided with life skills and languages training during their rehabilitation programme, he said.

They surrendered to the army at the end of the nearly three decades long ethnic war in May, 2009.

The government in January this year announced the allocation of 500 million rupees to grant self employment loans to the rehabilitated LTTE cadres.

A state bank provides self employment loans up to 250,000 rupees each to 10375 of them.

Sri Lankan military defeated the LTTE in May 2009, putting an end to their bid to create a separate state for Tamils. According to a UN report, army might have killed 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final phase of the war.

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Sena slams top cop for asking pandals to ensure women's safety

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has criticised Mumbai police commissioner Satyapal Singh's statement that Ganesh mandals should protect women devotees who come to seek blessings.

"If Ganesh mandals have to protect the women devotees, then why is there a need for police?" Uddhav was quoted as saying in a statement.

Satyapal Singh had said yesterday that "It is the responsibility of the pandal organisers to ensure that female devotees, who would flock to take blessings of the Ganesha, should not be eve-teased or molested. If any incident like this occurs, it would go against pandal organisers."

The top police official also said that if pandals failed to ensure safety of women devotees they might not be allowed to organise the event next year.

Uddhav said such circulars were issued only during the festivals of a particular community and not on others.

"If police are not able to protect women, then Shiv Sena has been taking the responsibility to protect women and will continue to do so," the Sena leader asserted.

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Trinamool will contest next Lok Sabha polls alone: Derek O'Brien

KOLKATA: Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he was not ruling out a future alliance with former partner Trinamool Congress, party MP Derek O'Brien on Sunday said they would prefer to go it alone in the next Lok Sabha polls as the people of the state were firmly behind them.

"The people of Bengal are with us. They have supported us overwhelmingly in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the 2011 Assembly polls, in the bypolls and for the recent Panchayat polls.

"In the Panchayat polls, the party fought against Congress, BJP and CPM and won 13 out of 17 districts. So, sir, Thank You, but no thanks," said O'Brien when asked to respond to Singh's statement.

"We would prefer to go it alone in the Lok Sabha polls. Our supremo Mamata Banerjee has already called upon regional parties to come together after the polls to form a government. A government which will be corruption-free and pro-people," said O'Brien.

Asked whether Congress would look to form an alliance with Trinamool for the upcoming Parliamentary polls, Singh had said: "In politics, there are no permanent enemies and permanent friends. And in many ways, a week in politics is sometimes an unusually long period of time... So, I don't rule out, for example, alliances."

After the break up with Congress, Banerjee had issued a clarion call for all non-Congress, non-BJP regional parties to come together and form a Federal Front.

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Modi as PM will be dangerous for nation's secular ethos: Farooq Abdullah

SRINAGAR: Union minister for new and renewable energy Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said, having Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of will be "dangerous and damaging" for the nation's secular ethos.

"National Conference (NC) has nothing to do with either Modi or BJP or Sangh (Parivar). We want to stay far and would not get into any agreements with them. That (Modi as PM) will be dangerous and damaging for the Indian secular ethos," Abdullah told reporters while replying to a question.

The Union minister, however, supported Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for the post of Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) has said it, it is good. He has seen him (Rahul), even I have seen him and I think he is good. He is young and a good choice and now he has to decide and bear the burden of this nation on his shoulders," Abdullah said.

Replying to a question on reports of a possible meeting between the Prime Minister and his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UN general assembly, Abdullah said talks between the two leaders would depend on "how the situation would be then".

"Pressures are always going to be there. The talks between the two Prime Ministers will depend on how the situation would be when the Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) reaches America and how much relations between India and Pakistan would have improved by then, because political pressures will surely have an effect on this," he said.

Earlier, the union minister released four books on Kashmir including the English translation of the autobiography of his father and NC founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah - "The Blazing Chinar" at SKICC here.

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