JAMMU, OCT 12: The National Conference, which has offered to join the Atal Behari Vajpayee Government at the Centre despite not being a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), had fought a tooth-and-nail battle against the BJP in at least two of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the state where it finished second after the BJP.The NC, which evidently believes in the maxim ``Heads I win, tails you lose'' is keen on the induction of Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah's MP son Omar in the Central Cabinet. A section of the party is unhappy at the move, especially as BJP MPs from the state have openly opposed it.Significantly, the NC had neither any seat adjustment with the BJP nor did it contest the Lok Sabha polls on the common national agenda of the NDA. In fact, the two fielded their candidates against each other in all the six Lok Sabha constituencies of the state during the elections, although the contest was close only in two of these. The NC bagged all the four seats in Kashmir Valley and Ladakh,while the remaining two (Jammu and Udhampur) went to the BJP.Soon after the announcement of the election results, Farooq took everybody by surprise by announcing his party's decision to join the NDA Government at the Centre. Even Farooq's son Omar, who led his party's newly elected MPs to Delhi, has said that talks are going on for induction of one of their MPs into the Union Cabinet.The NC stand is that has been an ally of the NDA and had supported the Vajpayee Government at the Centre. Farooq was even present during the release of the NDA's common national agenda for the recent Lok Sabha elections, some party leaders point out.But political analysts see Farooq's desire to join the NDA Government as an attempt to kill two birds with one stone. Besides getting his son Omar a berth in the Union Cabinet, it would also prevent the BJP from opposing the policies of his government in the state. The state BJP leaders realise this and say Farooq has no love last for them.They point out that the ChiefMinister had praised Vajpayee when an exit poll predicted that the NDA would get a majority in the Lok Sabha. However, no sooner had another exit poll showed that the Congress was emerging as the single largest party, the NC had issued a statement saying it would cooperate with any party coming to power at the Centre.Political analysts feel both the NC and BJP have their political compulsions for not getting together. While greater autonomy is the main poll plank of the former, it is opposed by the latter. Similarly, the BJP has been accusing the NC of resorting to regional discrimination and having failed to contain militancy. This has helped it expand its mass base in the state, especially the Jammu region. If it joins hands with the NC, its base might get eroded.Both BJP MPs from the state have already said that they would persuade Vajpayee not to induct any NC member into the Union Cabinet. This, Professor Chaman Lal Gupta and Vaid Vishnu Dutt say, would be detrimental to the interests of theparty in the state.Mahanta says AGP won't join NDAGUWAHATI: The AGP today ruled out the possibility of joining the NDA. Talking to newspersons here, AGP spokesman Nurul Hussain and publicity secretary Moidul Islam Bora said the party would maintain its own regional identity at any cost. The BJP wave, he added, was communal and would simmer down soon. The party apparently believes that though it failed to win a single seat in the state for the second successive time, it had not lost any base.
