 Sanjay Pandita
Early Times Report
Jammu, Aug 25: Dissident National Conference leader and Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday indicated that he would take a few days to decide his response to party president Dr Farooq Abdullah’s public challenge to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.
Speaking to reporters, Ruhullah stopped short of announcing whether he would resign but said he was taking the veteran NC leader’s demand seriously and would convey his decision shortly.
“It is not possible that Doctor Sahib asks me for something and I don’t give it to him. It is not possible that I send him back empty-handed,” Ruhullah said.
He added that he would take some time before making his position clear. “I will give an answer in a few days,” he said.
Ruhullah’s remarks came in response to Abdullah’s challenge that if the Srinagar MP believed his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was primarily due to his personal popularity and political standing, he should resign and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
“If you think people voted for you, resign and go back to them. We will see how many votes you get,” Abdullah had said.
The exchange has brought to the fore differences betw “It is not possible that Doctor Sahib asks me for something and I don’t give it to him. It is not possible that I send him back empty-handed,”
Ruhullah has consistently maintained a strong position on the restoration of Article 370, statehood and what he describes as the constitutional and political rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. His positions on several issues have, at times, appeared at variance with the approach adopted by the party leadership.
Abdullah, however, has maintained that Ruhullah is free to raise issues such as Article 370 in Parliament while questioning the manner in which some matters have been pursued.
The NC president has also emphasised the role of the party organisation and its grassroots cadre in electoral victories, arguing that candidates contesting on the NC ticket benefit substantially from the support and machinery of the organisation.
Ruhullah’s decision, therefore, is being closely watched within political circles, as his response could have implications for the already visible differences within the National Conference.
Whether he accepts Abdullah’s challenge or chooses to continue as Srinagar MP, his next move is likely to shape the political discourse within the party in the days ahead. | 