Omar Abdullah speaks in the Lok Sabha. (PTI)

Srinagar, July 22: Omar Abdullah today said he had made a “mistake” by becoming an NDA minister but reactions here to his Lok Sabha confession are mixed.

Noor Ahmad Baba, the dean of social sciences at Kashmir University, said Omar’s decision to back the UPA could be aimed at an “image correction”.

However, on the nuclear deal, there could be jitters for Omar’s National Conference. “Kashmiris view (the deal) against the backdrop of an alliance with the US and Israel,” Baba said.

What might go down well, though, is Omar’s decision not to vote with the BJP. “Omar’s words can’t be taken at face value. They (his party) have to take care of Muslim sensitivities.”

Omar could have also backed the Congress in the hope of an alliance in the Assembly polls due this year, where no party is expected to get a majority, Baba said.

Others sniffed double-speak. L.K. Sharma, the convener of Shri Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti, dubbed the party “opportunist”.

“They always speak one language in Srinagar, another in Jammu and a different one in Delhi. They supported the Congress as it is in power.”

The National Conference had opposed the land transfer to the Amarnath board.

The PDP’s Nizamuddin Bhat said Omar may have backed the UPA because the mood was against any tie-up with the BJP. Hurriyat leader Shabir Shah said it did not matter who was in power at the Centre “because all want to throw Kashmir into cold storage”.