PDP appears disinclined to accept National Conference offer

SRINAGAR: Prospects of an early resolution to political stalemate in Jammu and Kashmir ended today with National Conference slamming PDP and accusing it of making every "compromise" to come to power, after the latter showed no inclination to accept offer of support.

PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the House of 87 nembers, today indicated that it may not accept the support offer of National Conference whose Working President Omar Abdullah wrote to Governor N N Vohra yesterday.

"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.

Soon after, NC's general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar issued a statement, saying its offer was limited to outside support and attacked PDP, saying it was "ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power".

Sagar pointedly targeted PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, accusing him of "lording over countless massacres and being the architect of repression in the state".

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

Sagar 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..."

While slamming 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."