NC says its offer limited to outside support, attacks PDP

SRINAGAR: As PDP showed disinclination to take its support, National Conference today said its offer was limited to outside support for government formation in Jammu and Kashmir and attacked PDP, saying it was "ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power"

NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar said his party was not interested in being a part of government and that "unlike" PDP, his party is "guided by principles and a political ideology that is rooted in the aspirations and sentiments of the people."

In a statement here, he said, "It should be amply clear that the NC's offer to PDP was an offer of outside support for PDP to form the government in J&K and that National Conference was not interested in being a part of such a government in the state."

His statement came as PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party in the Assembly polls with 28 seats, indicated that it may not be inclined to accept NC's offer of support for forming a government. NC has got 15 seats.

"The people have voted against the National Conference in the elections and with just 15 seats, they (NC) cannot decide on the government formation," PDP Chief spokesperson Naeem Akhtar told PTI here earlier.

Akhtar was commenting on the letter sent by NC's Working President Omar Abdullah to Governor N N Vohra yesterday to inform him about his party's support to PDP and asking him not to take any decision with regard to the government formation and Assembly's "viability" without consulting his party.

Targeting PDP, Sagar said, "We have put our ideology over the lure of power, something that quite understandably seems inconceivable for a party like the PDP which is ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power in the State.

"PDP wants to come to power at any cost, even if that means contradicting everything PDP leaders said during the campaign for the Assembly Elections."

He said if NC were interested in being part of a government in J and K, it could have aligned with the BJP which "was an option readily available to NC after the election results came out."