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| Ruhullah to resign from NC, Lok Sabha in November | | |  sanjay pandita
Early Times Report
JAMMU, Aug 28: In a significant escalation of his differences with the National Conference (NC) leadership, Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has announced that he will resign from both the party and Parliament in November, accepting the challenge thrown by NC president Farooq Abdullah.
Ruhullah is expected to submit his resignation on November 3, the death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi. His decision could trigger a fresh political contest in Srinagar and potentially turn the ensuing by-election into a direct test of his personal political standing against the organisational strength of the National Conference.
Ruhullah has for some time been vocal about his differences with the NC leadership over the party's political approach following the changes made to Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional status in August 2019.
His principal disagreement centres on the restoration of Article 370 and other constitutional safeguards. Ruhullah has repeatedly maintained that the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional position should remain central to the political struggle, rather than limiting the agenda to restoration of statehood.
According to people close to him, Ruhullah plans to undertake an extensive public outreach campaign across Kashmir over the next two months. He is expected to visit towns and villages and explain to people the political reasons behind his decision to resign and outline his future course of action.
Ruhullah has on several occasions expressed dissatisfaction with what he perceives as a shift in the NC's political priorities after the party returned to power in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024.
He has questioned whether the party's approach in government is consistent with the commitments made to voters during the Assembly elections. He has also criticised what he sees as an inadequate political push for restoration of constitutional rights.
The differences have increasingly become public, with Ruhullah accusing the leadership of moving away from the broader demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional rights.
The confrontation reached a decisive point after Farooq Abdullah publicly challenged Ruhullah to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate from the people if he believed his 2024 victory from Srinagar reflected his personal popularity.
Rather than rejecting the challenge, Ruhullah indicated that he was prepared to accept it. His latest announcement has now transformed the political disagreement into a potential electoral contest. |
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