NC promised to support Congress if PDP ousted from coalition

Srinagar, Jul 31 (UNI) The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) today alleged that National Conference (NC) patron Dr Farooq Abdullah had offered his party's unconditional support to Ghulam Nabi Azad government if the Chief Minister parted ways with PDP as part of a plot to destabilise the alliance.

A spokesman of the PDP in a statement here said the latest revelation by Dr Abdullah that, two years ago, he had offered his party's unconditional support to the Azad Government had uncovered the backroom plot that was hatched by Dr Abdullah and Mr Azad to destabilise the Coalition.

The spokesman said that in his interview which was telecast on a television channel last night, Dr Abdullah made the startling revelation that he had telephoned Mr Azad in 2005 when he took over as the Chief Minister and said that the NC was ready to support the government even without demanding any ministry if he could push the PDP out of the coalition.

''Dr Abdullah's disclosures have now made it amply clear that right from the day Mr Azad took over as the Chief Minister, he, in league with the NC, was covertly working on his plan to drive the PDP out of the coalition,'' spokesman said.

However, when Mr Azad finally came closer to realizing his cherished dream of having a compliant NC on his side, after the PDP's pull-out, he (Azad) had already created such a messy situation around himself that even his best friends in the NC could not rescue him at the crucial moment, the spokesman added.

He said that Dr Abdullah, in his interview, made another interesting exposure that Mr Azad had contacted him in London telephonically a day before the trust vote in the assembly and pleaded for the NC's support as promised.

''But according to Dr Abdullah he could not oblige Mr Azad as his party's legislators had opposed such an arrangement in view of the grave situation prevailing in the State at that time,'' the spokesman said and added Dr Abdullah at the same time admitted that the situation would have been different if he was present in the State at the time of trust vote, indicating that he could have supported Mr Azad.

''It is now evident from Dr Abdullah's revelations that not any political conviction, but only the compulsions of the situation disallowed the NC leadership from taking a plunge into the troubled waters with Mr Azad,'' he said.

The PDP spokesman said that ''after having miserably failed in his miscalculated ambitious political misadventure, Azad is now desperately trying to shift the blame on anybody and everybody for the fall of his Government''.

UNI BAS RR KN1730