National Conference president Omar Abdullah today ruled out the possibility of an alliance with the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and said the party will go it alone in the next Parliamentary elections.‘‘NDA ke saath jaane ka faisla Farooq saheb ka tabke halat ke mutabik tha. Party president ke naate ab mujhe yeh dekhna hai ki iski kitni jaroorat hai (Joining hands with the NDA was Farooq’s decision and it was dictated by the prevailing circumstances. Being party president, now I have to review this decision),’’ Omar said in an interview with The Indian Express. ‘‘Hamein ab state mein government chalane ki compulsion nahin hai, he added. He said the final decision on the issue will be taken at the party working committee meeting which will be convened soon.He, however, said there are no differences between him and his father Farooq Abdullah over the issue of a tie-up with the NDA. BJP dismisses Omar suggestion for mediation JAMMU: Terming as ‘‘two sides of the same coin’’ the National Conference (NC) and the Hurriyat, the J-K BJP on Tuesday rubbished former Union minister Omar Abdullah’s suggestion that a third party mediation has become inevitable in resolving the Kashmir issue. ‘‘The NC and the Hurriyat are two sides of the same coin. Abdullah’s suggestion of the third party involvement in the Kashmir issue is dangerous and outrageous,’’ BJP spokesman Hari Om said in a statement here. —Agencies ‘‘Farooq saheb says I have to take the decisions now. At the time when he went in for a tie-up with the NDA, we were in power in the state. It was necessary for the government to have good relations with the Centre in the interest of the people of the state. Now, there are no such compulsions,’’ he said.He added that the party never supported the policies of the alliance at the Centre. ‘‘We were never supporters of the BJP or NDA’s policies.’’Will Pakistan President Gen Pervez Musharraf’s recent statements create a hurdle in the ongoing peace initiative? ‘‘Why only the Pakistan leader’s statements? As far as giving harsh statements is concerned, our leaders are not far behind. Recently, a senior BJP leader, who is also a Union minister, gave derogatory statements during a foreign tour,’’ he said, refusing to name the minister.Is the Prime Minister’s latest peace initiative aimed at the next Parliamentary elections? Omar said he was surprised when, in Srinagar, the Prime Minister suddenly extended his hand of friendship to Pakistan.‘‘Ab elections (Assembly polls in five states) aane wale hain, lekin mujhe dar yeh hai ki agar vartmaan halaat chalte rahe to Vajpayee saheb dosti ka haath bada hi nahin payenge (Assembly elections are approaching in five states. But I fear if conditions continue to be like this, Vajpayee won’t be able to extend his hand of friendship),’’ he said, adding one should not forget the Kargil conflict as it happened after Vajpyee boarded the bus to Lahore.Regarding Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s taking credit for improvement in the situation in the state, Abdullah said: ‘‘it is difficult to say that the situation has become normal in the light of the Sunjwan incident.’’Asked to comment on Vajpyee’s recent visit to China, Omar said the country’s relations with China will not change overnight. ‘‘Pakistan will not tolerate India’s getting closer to China. But if roads are opened for trade with China, this may help normalise relations between the two countries ,’’ he added.
