The Peoples Democratic Party on Wednesday virtually turned down the offer of support from its arch rival National Conference for government formation, dimming the prospects of an early resolution to the political stalemate resulting from the hung verdict in last month's assembly polls.
The two parties were engaged in war or words, a day after National Conference's Working President Omar Abdullah wrote to Governor N N Vohra to formally inform him about his party's support to PDP in government formation.
PDP, which has emerged as the single largest party with 28 seats in the house of 87 members, made it clear that the offer of support was not acceptable to it.
"The people have voted against the National Conference in the elections and with just 15 seats, they (NC) cannot decide on the government formation," PDP spokesperson Naeem Akhtar said.
He said people have voted for change in Jammu and Kashmir and an alliance with the National Conference would amount to disrespecting their desire.
Attacking NC, he said, "Having realised that they cannot be the King, they (NC) want to be the Kingmaker now."
NC, in turn, said its offer was limited to outside support and attacked PDP, saying it was "ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power".
NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar pointedly targeted PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, accusing him of "lording over countless massacres and being the architect of repression in the state".
The assembly polls, whose results were declared on December 23 last, threw up a fractured mandate. BJP bagged 25 seats, NC 15 and Congress 12.
Abdullah resigned last week as caretaker chief minister, after which Governor's Rule was imposed in the state.
Insisting that NC was not interested in being a part of government, Sagar said that "unlike" PDP, his party is "guided by principles and a political ideology that is rooted in the aspirations and sentiments of the people."
While slamming PDP, Sagar said, "We have put our ideology over the lure of power, something that quite understandably seems inconceivable for a party like the PDP which is ready to make every possible compromise and U-turn to come to power in the state.
"PDP wants to come to power at any cost, even if that means contradicting everything PDP leaders said during the campaign for the assembly elections."
