Farooq rules out NC alliance with Cong, but Omar says talks are on

The National Conference's decision to go it alone in J&K and Ladakh startled Congress, which had been assured of the ally's commitment to the INDIA bloc following a meeting this week, and even rejected a stray warning from sources about Abdullah's reluctance to join forces. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh's reaction to Farooq Abdullah's shocker insinuated extraneous pressure on NC.