NC extends support to UPA

National Conference on Tuesday announced unconditional support to Congress-led UPA, along with an Independent from Jammu and Kashmir, saying it wanted to strengthen the "secular" alliance.

National Conference on Tuesday announced unconditional support to Congress-led UPA, along with an Independent from Jammu and Kashmir, saying it wanted to strengthen the "secular" alliance.

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"We have given unconditional support to UPA, Congress and the Prime Minister," National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah told reporters after his 20-minute meeting with Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

Asked whether he would join the cabinet, Abdullah said "there was no such talk. We did not talk about the cabinet. We have given unconditional support."

He said he had met Gandhi just to congratulate her for the great victory and "wished that the wishes of the people are fulfilled."

The NC leader was accompanied by Independent MP from Ladakh Gulam Hassan Khan.

Congress and NC had fought the Lok Sabha polls jointly in Jammu and Kashmir. However, NC had given tacit support to Hassan as independent from Ladakh against a Congress candidate contesting for the seat.

Abdullah, however, dismissed the suggestion that NC put up any proxy candidate against Congress.

"We never put up any proxy candidate. We supported Congress to the hilt in all the three seats they fought and they supported us in all the three seats that we fought," he said.