The Hindu : NC will not ally with any party, says Omar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 14, 2003

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Other States - Jammu & Kashmir

NC will not ally with any party, says Omar

By Our Staff Reporter

Jammu July 13 . The National Conference (NC) president, Omar Abdullah, today termed the severing off of its five-year-old ties with the National Democratic Alliance a new political beginning and said the NC would not ally with any party for the Parliamentary elections.

Talking to The Hindu, he said: "The reports of the National Conference allying with any other party such as the Congress in the coming Parliamentary elections are all false.

The people who spread these reports or discuss it have no idea about the party and the ground reality prevailing in the State. The National Conference believes in its regional identity and would not ally with anyone at the cost of it as we feel the net gain would be zero."

"We have never allied with anyone in the past and there would be no change in this stand. The stand has been endorsed by all the members of the working committee in its meeting held recently. We have resolved to work on our own and I have the support of every grass-root worker of my party on this issue."Asked whether the NC's ties with the NDA affected the party in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections, he said, "this is certainly one of the factors and I am aware of this fact. But there were many other factors which we have discussed in the inner party discussions. I would not make the other factors public. The party has taken notice of all these factors and necessary steps are being taken." On the future equation with the NDA leaders, he said, "at the personal level I would retain my regards for the leaders, including Vajpayeeji. But there are ideological differences with them and that is why, in the party's interests, I had to call off my relationship with the Centre. I have no regrets about it."

Asked what the main issues of the party were, he said, "we have charted a road map for the party.

The issue of greater autonomy has relevance for the State and remains so. The party believes that for any political solution to the Kashmir issue, they would have to discuss the issue of greater autonomy." His party would continue to take up this issue at various forums.

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