J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said there was no question of the National Conference quitting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance and joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Mr. Abdullah admitted that the current election time was “a bit difficult” but asserted that there was no need for the NC to abandon the ship. “We are not fair weather friends. We are part of UPA and National Conference will remain with UPA,” he said in a conversation on Google Hangout.
Probably for the first time, M.r Abdullah revealed that he had tendered his resignation as Minister of State for External Affairs in Atal Behari Vajpayee's NDA Government at the Centre when the BJP leader Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister and the communal riots happened in Gujarat in 2002. He said that the Prime Minister did not accept his resignation and he did not press it as, according to the NC leader, it could have suggested Mr. Vajpayee was responsible for the turmoil. Mr. Modi was responsible for the riots, not Mr. Vajpayee, he said.
“There was a resolution in Parliament that required the NDA to vote together. I refused to and I abstained from that,” he said. Mr. Vajpayee couldn’t have made Mr. Modi more accountable, he believed. According to him, a prime ministerial candidate like Mr. Modi should have taken responsibility for the mayhem even if he would not apologise for it. Mr Abdullah said NC’s previous relationship with the NDA was because of Mr. Vajpayee
