Avinash Azad
The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC) on Tuesday launched a scathing response hours after Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi announced his resignation from the party and his Lok Sabha membership, accusing him of “mental and moral bankruptcy,” political opportunism and failing to use his parliamentary position for J&K’s core political demands.
Ruhullah, elected to the Lok Sabha on an NC ticket in 2024, announced his exit at a public gathering today, in Budgam on the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi. He said he could no longer remain part of what he alleged was the party’s retreat from its commitments on Article 370, constitutional rights, reservation reforms and the release of prisoners.
The JKNC issued the following statement on X, responding to Ruhullah’s resignation:
“Aga Ruhullah’s speech was a manifestation of his mental and moral bankruptcy, and an example of his self-obsession. While invoking the holy Quran and the divine message of dignity and respect for human beings, Ruhullah’s speech was full of derogatory, abusive and unparliamentary language against NC leadership. The language used by him only reflects who he is!
Since Aga Ruhullah has chosen to use the issue of special status and reservation to resign from NC, it’s important to keep the record straight. He only remembered to resign when he was told to by the party president. The same way he only remembered 2010 today when it suited him. He is a man who happily remained in office as a minister in 2010 until he was removed in a general reshuffle. He was happy to fight elections in 2014 on JKNC ticket and didn’t remember 2010 then. In fact he conveniently forgot all about it until 2026, 16 years later.
Wasn’t Aga Ruhullah the first to welcome the resolution demanding restoration of special status, passed by the J&K Assembly on November 6. Didn’t he say that it was the promise that had been delivered?
What has Aga Ruhullah done in Parliament on special status. Wasn’t he elected to the parliament to represent the sentiment of people and garner support of secular parties and MPs in the parliament. Aga Ruhullah Mehdi was able to gather signatures of over 100 MPs from different parties in the parliament to move an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court judge Shekar Kumar Yadav. Can he tell us if he ever made such an effort to gather signatures of MPs for the restoration of special status or statehood?
Did he even try to move a resolution or bill in the parliament in this regard? Aga Ruhullah Mehdi was sent to parliament to speak about the dispossession and how people’s will represented by the elected government has been undermined and belittled by the central government and its appointed Lt Governor in an attempt to delegitimise the vote and elected government. Did he speak even once – that even under the current UT arrangement, the departments which are technically under elected government are not allowed to function and LG continues to run them through remote control?
Aga Ruhullah Mehdi started his opposition to elected government on the issue of reservation in jobs, a grave injustice to the open merit category. It’s indeed a grave injustice committed during LGs rule. NC raised this issue made it an important part of its election manifesto and promised to change it.
Ironically, Aga and his ilk chose to blame the whistleblower for the problem.
Did he ever utter a single word against LG and central government for snatching jobs of open merit category? In accordance with its election promise, NC government formed a cabinet sub-committee and made first significant changes in the reservations. The file has been stalled by the powers that be. Did Mr Mehdi, raise this issue in the parliament and ask the centre why they have stalled the J&K cabinet decision on Reservation in jobs? Aga sb was elected as MP six months before Assembly elections and formation of elected government in J&K. Did he organise a single protest against the LG and demanded justice for open merit? Did he raise the issue of multiple fraud recruitments and exams and how job aspirants of one region were systematically removed from the system and jobs?
While the NC government knows its limitations given the present scheme of things, it has carefully chosen its roadmap on the issues which are directly linked to our existence and identity. Our thrust on restoration of statehood is not and will never be at the expense of the special status. If it was so, the first transition of business of this government would not have been the special status. And August 15 of CM would not have reiterated it. Protection and preservation of our identity and constitutional rights form the foundation of NCs political ideology. Abandoning it means abandoning the party and the politics it has stood for last over 90 years. Reclaiming and repossessing what was taken away from us needs a deft politics, not theatrics. Theatrics will not take us anywhere. It may temporarily grab some attention and social media likes, but in the long run it will not achieve anything for people.
Aga Ruhullahs decision to resign as MP is too late. He should have done a year ago when he chose to join the forces who were rattled by the mandate to NC. While sitting in NC, he became instrumental in the defeat of the party in the assembly byelections of the Budgam seat. Where was his conscience then? Backstabbing the same party he owed his political existence.Isn’t it astonishing that someone who owes his whole political existence to NC, started his politics in the party, remained MLA for three terms, minister in the government and MP of the party is so brazenly showing his narcissistic conduct and finding all faults in the party after 25 years.”
Party’s Core Allegations: The NC said Ruhullah’s resignation was belated and politically motivated, alleging that he acted only after being directed by the party president. It also accused him of selectively invoking the 2010 period despite having served as a minister in the NC government then and contesting the 2014 elections on the party’s ticket.
On special status and statehood, the party questioned why Ruhullah had not mobilised MPs, moved a resolution or introduced a bill in Parliament, contrasting this with his earlier effort to collect more than 100 signatures for an impeachment motion against an Allahabad High Court judge.
The NC also defended its record on reservation, saying it had raised the open-merit issue, included it in its election manifesto, and formed a cabinet sub-committee that made initial changes—while alleging that the file had been stalled by “the powers that be.”
Political Stakes: Ruhullah’s exit is a major political setback for the Omar Abdullah-led NC, coming amid months of public differences over the party’s approach to Article 370, statehood and governance under the Union Territory arrangement. Reports said he hinted at launching a new political movement or outfit, though he said his immediate focus was on building a struggle rather than announcing a party. The NC, however, insisted that its commitment to restoring statehood would not come at the cost of special status, calling the protection of J&K’s identity and constitutional rights the foundation of its politics for more than 90 years.
