NC will never be part of NDA: Omar

Omar had submitted his resignation from NDA after 2002 Gujarat riots

Omar Abdullah
Press Trust of India New Delhi
Last Updated : Apr 05 2014 | 6:35 PM IST
Making a categoric statement that National Conference will never be a part of NDA, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today said BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was responsible for 2002 Gujarat riots for which he was neither saying sorry nor owning up the responsibility.

Participating in a conversation on "Google hangout", Omar spoke on various issues including the upcoming general polls, Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), Hurriyat Conference's role in Kashmir issue, Afzal Guru and Congress' prospects.

The 44-year-old Chief Minister said he had submitted his resignation after 2002 Gujarat riots which was not accepted by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

"I sent my resignation to Vajpyee. I refused to vote along the government at that time. There was a resolution in Parliament that required the NDA to vote together, I refused to and I abstained from that.

"My resignation was not accepted and I did not press, may be foolishly. I didn't believe that Mr Vajpyee was responsible for riots, I believe Narendra Modi was. By pressing for my resignation, I would have made Mr Vajpayee responsible for these riots, which I don't believe he was," Omar said while answering questions.

However, Omar, who was Minister of State for External Affairs in the Vajpayee government, feels that Vajpyee could have held Modi more accountable.

"Yes, he (Vajpayee) could have held Modi to a greater accountability but he (Vajpayee) wasn't responsible for those riots and that is the only reason I did not press for that resignation," he said.

On whether there was a possibility of any future alliance with the NDA, Omar, who is the working President of National Conference, said "Absolutely not. I know in politics some well wisher often advise us to never close our option and in politics the worst thing to do is to make any categoric statement like this but this is a situation where I wish to make a categoric statement like this.
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First Published: Apr 05 2014 | 6:30 PM IST

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