Even as the National Conference leadership is vociferously trying to refute reports of the party's intention to rejoin the BJP-led NDA, Devender Singh Rana, former political of ex-Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, exposed Abdullahs' keenness to stitch an alliance with the Saffron Party.
Rana, who was a close aide of both Dr. Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah before joining the BJP, revealed that the National Conference leadership is desperate to join hands with the BJP.
Rana further disclosed that even after the abrogation of Article 370 and Article 370, the National Conference leadership made desperate efforts to develop relations with the BJP.
Since 2014 NC leadership has been trying to reach out to BJP
Devender Singh Rana said that after the 2014 assembly elections, the National Conference leadership was ready to have an alliance with the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir.
Reacting to the statement of Dr. Farooq Abdullah in which he (Farooq) indicated rejoining the NDA, Rana said, "Farooq Sahib's statement did not surprise me because the NC has always been very very keen to join hands with the BJP".
Rana was interacting with a section of media.
"They were part of the NDA during the regime of Atal Behari Vajpayee and in 2014 also the NC made a very vehement effort to form the government with the BJP", Rana revealed.
Omar was ready to stitch an alliance with the BJP.
Startling revelations of the friend-turned-foe land Omar Abdullah in an embarrassing situation because a day before Omar Abdullah categorially ruled out joining the NDA again.
"It was not Dr. Farooq Abdullah but Omar Abdullah himself who led the talks with the BJP leadership to form the government in 2014", Rana disclosed and added that senior Abdullah was in London then.
Rana, however, said that the BJP rejected the offer of the National Conference.
Devendra Singh Rana said that he was privy to the attempts of the National Conference to reach out to the BJP.
"I was in the NC at that time that's why I am saying this. Dr Farooq Abdullah was in London and Omar Abdullah led the talks with the BJP leaders. He had a meeting with top dignitaries of the BJP at that point of time. The talks were rejected but the NC was very very keen I can tell you", he said.
"Everybody in the National Conference including Omar Abdullah was keen to form the government with BJP in 2014", he said.
On Thursday Omar outrightly rejected any indication to rejoin NDA
Devender Singh Rana's statement landed Omar Abdullah in an embarrassing situation because on Thursday only he (Omar) stoutly ruled out any possibility of rejoining the NDA.
"As far as NC's joining the NDA is concerned we are not the party that has its feet in multiple boats. I would like to make it categorically clear that no door, no window not even a crack is open for NDA. Once we make friends we stick to them, our commitment to the INDIA alliance remains", Omar said.
Omar's ex-close aide had joined BJP in Oct 2021
Rana, who was a key aide of Omar Abdulla, had joined the BJP in October 2011after resigning from the National Conference. Rana, who is a former MLA and the younger brother of Union minister Jitendra Singh, had been a political advisor to former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister and National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah.
