Farooq threatens to quit NDA

JAMMU, AUG. 26. An angry Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr. Farooq Abdullah, today threatened to pull his National Conference (NC) out of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre in protest against remarks by the Central leadership insinuating that elections in the State had been rigged. Asserting that he would not take ``rubbish'' from anybody, Dr. Abdullah told presspersons here that he had no ``business'' to be in the NDA after the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee's remarks from the Red Fort promising ``free and fair elections'' in Jammu and Kashmir in future and the subsequent comments made by the Union Home Minister, Mr. L.K. Advani, that doubts had been cast about the fairness of past elections except those held when Morarji Desai was the Prime Minister.

``Were the other Governments at the Centre crooks and could not intervene in the cases of rigging? What did the two leaders mean by their statements? Were all elections rigged? Was there no fairness?'' he said.

Dr. Abdullah's threat comes on the eve of the NDA coordination committee meeting which he is unlikely to attend. His son, Mr. Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for External Affairs, is likely to represent the NC at the meeting and may raise the issue of comments made by Mr. Vajpayee and Mr. Advani.

- PTI

A misunderstanding, says Vajpayee

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