Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday ruled out possibility of an alliance between National Conference and NDA, saying their previous association was only due to his party’s relationship with former Prime Minister and BJP stalwart Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
“The National Conference and the NDA were unnatural allies...Therefore I do not see a possibility of the NC returning to the NDA fold. The relationship between NC and NDA was (due to) the relationship between the NC and Atal Bihari Vajpayee. He was a sort of leader that brought people together,” Mr. Omar told mediapersons during an interaction at Press Club here.
He said it was not a relationship between the NC and the BJP.
“It was a relationship between NC and the NDA, the NDA headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. No matter how carefully I look, I don’t see anybody in the NDA, particularly in the BJP who is even close to the credentials of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
And unless such a leader is thrown up by the NDA, the possibility of the NC returning (to the alliance) does not exist,” he said.
The National Conference was a part of Vajpayee led-NDA government, which was in power from 1998 to 2004. However, the Kashmir-based party had later snapped ties with the BJP-led alliance.
To a question on supporting NDA if it is headed by Bihar Chief Minister and JD (U) leader Nitish Kumar, Mr. Omar refused to respond saying it was a “hypothetical situation”.
