Omar rules out resignation

"They have always been uncomfortable with me. They have never loved the idea of my being the Chief Minister," Omar said in answer to questions on PDP`s demand for his resignation in the wake of the death of a National Conference (NC) worker Haji Syed Yusuf in police custody. PDP led by father-daughter duo of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed and Mehbooba Mufti "was willing to sacrifice everything to keep me out of power", he said, adding, "it will do anything to topple my government irrespective of consequences for them or for the state."

Recalling the political manoeuvres that followed the 2008 assembly elections in which none of the three principal parties, Congress, NC or PDP, got a clear majority, Omar said that PDP had made offers to the Congress to be part of a coalition in which they would even not take any ministries. Therefore, PDP`s bitterness against NC was not surprising, "but they do not realise that I am not going to be caged in like this," Omar told PTI.

It was "deeply frustrating" for PDP that the state under NC-Congress coalition government had one of its best years in decades in terms of development, peace and tourism, he said. The fact that the state had had extremely successful elections to Panchayats who had now been empowered, "was something they are uncomfortable with", Omar said.