As the dissident Lok Sabha member of the party, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, announced to join the protest, the showdown between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his party’s Member of Parliament is likely to intensify on Saturday on the contentious issue of prevailing reservation.
Ruhullah Mehdi has warned that if the government failed to engage with protesting students on the reservation issue by December 27, he would personally join their agitation.
Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, Lok Sabha member from Srinagar, has been openly critical of the National Conference leadership, accusing it of failing to fulfil promises made in the party’s 2024 election manifesto.
Omar reacts to Ruhullah’s warning
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday strongly rebutted Ruhullah Mehdi over the reservation policy in government jobs and professional colleges, asserting that he would not be pressured into taking any wrong decision.
In his strongest reaction so far, Omar Abdullah said he was neither afraid of threats nor willing to bow to intimidation. “I am not afraid of anyone’s threats, nor will I take any wrong decision under pressure. I don’t know what you think of yourself,” the Chief Minister said.
He maintained that sensitive issues such as reservation policy cannot be settled through street pressure or ultimatums and must be addressed strictly within the constitutional and legal framework after due consultation with all stakeholders.
The Chief Minister’s remarks came after Ruhullah Mehdi warned that if the government failed to engage with protesting students on the reservation issue by December 27, he would personally join their agitation. The MP has been openly critical of the National Conference leadership, accusing it of failing to fulfil promises made in the party’s 2024 election manifesto.
Friday’s developments have brought internal differences within the National Conference into sharp focus, with the exchange marking a clear face-off between Omar Abdullah, who also serves as Vice President of the National Conference, and Ruhullah Mehdi.
As part of its proposed changes, the cabinet headed by Omar Abdullah has recommended increasing the share for open merit candidates to 40 per cent. To achieve this, the government has proposed reducing the reservation under the Resident of Backward Area category by three per cent and under the Economically Weaker Sections category by seven per cent.
Once approved by the Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, the overall reservation in government jobs and professional colleges would stand at 60 per cent, with the remaining 40 per cent available to open merit candidates in the Union Territory.
At present, Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes enjoy eight per cent reservation each, Scheduled Tribes 20 per cent, Economically Weaker Sections and Residents of Backward Area 10 per cent each, and residents of areas adjoining the Line of Control and International Border four per cent. In addition, a 10 per cent horizontal reservation is in place, including six per cent for ex-servicemen and four per cent for Persons with Disabilities.
Last year Aga Ruhullah staged a protest outside Omar’s resident
In December 2024, dissident leader Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah staged a protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence in Srinagar on the issue of reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.
The protest came in response to the controversial reservation policy introduced by the Lieutenant Governor-led administration, which raised the reservation for reserved categories to 60 percent and reduced the general category share to 40 percent.
Ruhullah was joined by leaders of the People’s Democratic Party and Awami Itihad Party of Lok Sabha member Engineer Rashid.
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