SRINAGAR — National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on his own party and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing its leadership of abandoning the political commitments on which it sought public support during the 2024 elections.
Addressing a gathering ahead of his proposed resignation programme, Ruhullah said the National Conference had secured votes by promising to fight for Jammu and Kashmir’s dignity, autonomy and constitutional rights but had subsequently prioritised political power and ministerial positions.
“You used me,” Ruhullah said, accusing the party leadership of persuading him to contest the parliamentary elections and later campaign for the National Conference in the Assembly polls.
Questioning the party’s commitment to its promises, the Srinagar MP referred to the assurances that it would defend the rights taken away from Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, 2019.
“You told people that you were the guardians of their dignity. You said that if anyone touched that dignity, it would be like grabbing you by the collar. That dignity was buried on August 5, 2019. Tell me now, where is that dignity? Where is that autonomy?” he asked.
Ruhullah said the National Conference had built its political identity around the promise of safeguarding Jammu and Kashmir’s dignity and autonomy within India, irrespective of religion.
He recalled that he had questioned the party’s response to the 2019 constitutional changes, alleging that its leadership had shifted its focus towards issues such as restoration of internet services, release of prisoners and holding elections instead of pursuing the larger demand for the restoration of rights.
“After 2019, one was looking for 4G internet, another wanted to be released from jail, and someone else was asking for elections. I kept asking what had happened to the fight for our rights,” he said.
The MP claimed he had made his differences with the party leadership clear well before the 2024 elections. “I told them that if they wanted to pursue politics merely for the chair, our paths were different,” he said.
Recounting the parliamentary election campaign, Ruhullah alleged that the party had initially approached him to contest from Baramulla, citing the presence of Shia voters in the constituency. “They wanted me to contest from Baramulla because there were Shia voters. This was the level to which politics had been reduced, where voters were being viewed through religion,” he alleged.
He said he had instead suggested that Omar Abdullah contest from north Kashmir, following which he was fielded from Srinagar and won the parliamentary election.
Recalling a conversation after Omar Abdullah’s defeat in Baramulla, Ruhullah claimed that he had tried to console the National Conference leader. “I told him not to be disappointed. He told me that I had won and that the dignity of the National Conference and the people of Jammu and Kashmir was now in my hands,” he said.
Ruhullah said he had taken that responsibility seriously and raised issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights in Parliament.
He also alleged that during the Assembly election campaign, the party had sought his support after assuring him that its manifesto would commit it to fighting for the region’s dignity and rights.
However, he claimed the leadership began distancing itself from the demand for restoration of Article 370 soon after forming the government in 2024. “You got power in 2024, and from the second day, when we spoke about Article 370, you started saying no. Is this the dignity you promised?” he asked.
In a direct criticism of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Ruhullah questioned his public remarks welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi during visits to Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to remarks made by Omar Abdullah during a railway inauguration, the MP said the Chief Minister had praised Modi for achieving what the British could not and had sought his elevation from Chief Minister of a Union Territory to Chief Minister of a state.
Ruhullah questioned why the Chief Minister had not used the occasion to raise the restoration of constitutional rights with the Prime Minister. “Did you ever tell him that you had saddened the people by taking away their rights? Did you ask him to sit with the people and restore those rights?” he asked.
Ruhullah also criticised what he described as a political culture centred on ministerial positions, arguing that the pursuit of office had overshadowed the larger issues on which the party had sought votes. “Is dignity about occupying a chair? Is it dignity when someone does not get a ministerial berth and begins crying like a child?” he said.
Contrasting the pursuit of political positions with the willingness to relinquish office, he said public respect should not be measured by access to power. “In some places, losing a chair brings tears and sadness. Here, the possibility of giving up a chair brings happiness,” he said.
In an emotional appeal, Ruhullah said he would rather seek the support of ordinary people than become dependent on political power. “I place my cap before the people and pray to Almighty Allah that He never makes us so dependent on power and the chair that we have to put it before his people,” he said.
Follow Us
The Kashmir Pulse is now on Google News. Subscribe our Telegram channel and Follow our WhatsApp channel for timely news updates!
