Ruhullah quits NC, says party betrayed people on Article 370 and other key issues

Rebel National Conference leader and Srinagar-Budgam Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has finally resigned from the party’s primary membership as well as from his position as a Member of Parliament.

As a Member of Parliament, Aga Ruhullah submitted his resignation letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, while, as a National Conference member, he tendered his resignation to former Chief Minister and party president Dr Farooq Abdullah.

While displaying his resignation papers before the gathering, Ruhullah described them as an “Azadinaama” (declaration of freedom) and handed them over to Mohammad Ashraf Mattoo for forwarding to the National Conference leadership. Mohammad Ashraf Mattoo is the father of Tofail Mattoo, who was killed in police firing during Omar Abdullah’s previous tenure as Chief Minister.

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi launched a scathing attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, saying that the chair he occupies has become a source of suffering for everyone. He further remarked that Omar Abdullah did not need to bow his head or humble himself before others to retain his power and position.

Ruhullah accused the National Conference leadership of betraying the public mandate and failing to fulfil the promises made during the Assembly elections. He maintained that his differences with the party leadership were not personal but stemmed from ideological principles and political commitments.

He said the party had failed to fulfil its promises to the people on crucial issues, including the restoration of Article 370, protection of constitutional rights, the reservation policy, and the release of prisoners lodged in jails. He maintained that compromising on these issues was unacceptable to him, as the NC had sought public support on the basis of these assurances.

Ruhullah clarified that his decision was neither the result of being denied a position in the party nor motivated by any personal grudge. He said the issues on which people had supported the party were far more important to him than any political position.

He emphasised that his intention was not merely to leave one political party and join another. Instead, he wanted to bring together honest, committed and politically conscious youth from Jammu and Kashmir who understood the pain of their homeland and its people and aspired to bring about positive social change.

He appealed to parents to encourage their children to come forward and work for the welfare of society. He said that children raised by their parents through honesty and hard work should now fulfil their responsibility towards society and contribute to the betterment of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ruhullah said he wanted to create a platform of young people who would work with complete honesty and dedication for public welfare and the overall development of Jammu and Kashmir.

In his resignation letter addressed to Dr Farooq Abdullah, Ruhullah wrote:

“This is all the more burdensome since the abrogation of Article 35 A and Article 370 in 2019. This shock to the people, our history, and our politics was a brazen assault on our rights.”

“Rights, to make a philosophical point, make a people. Without these, there is just erasure of a people. But 2019 was also, paradoxically an opportunity. It was an opportunity to reclaim politics, political space and our rights,” he stated.

He further added: “But this called for a struggle, sacrifices and prices. Given our very existence, politics and rights were at stake; the struggle was essential. Prices had to be paid. My working assumption then was that the National Conference, the grand old party of Kashmir, was the natural candidate for the struggle that the situation demanded.”

“I approached you, and you assured me of a struggle, the pain that the abrogation of the Articles had caused you. Based on this assurance, I aligned my politics more vigorously with the NC,” he wrote, adding, “The hope was this alignment would create and catalyse a movement for the restoration of our rights. But, alas, this was not to be.”