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Journalism of Courage
A day after reports of a major disagreement in the National Conference (NC) between Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and party MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, the party appeared to get into damage control mode by claiming that the meeting was held in a “healthy and respectful” environment and that Mehdi did not walk out as claimed earlier.
While the Srinagar MP has been critical of the NC’s stand on various issues for a long time, according to insiders, at the working committee meeting on Saturday, he questioned the party’s “departure from its ideological stand” and “abandoning” the core promises made to the people in the election manifesto.
Sources in the NC said Ruhullah asked the party brass, including the CM, that while it attacked Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari for “normalising” the post-2019 situation, its stand was no different as it had departed from its core promises made in the manifesto, including the restoration of special status and the return of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir. Ruhullah is said to have been annoyed by party members’ praise for Omar’s governance, comparing the working committee meeting with a “public milan”.
“We are betraying the people by abandoning the core promises we made in our manifesto,” he told his party colleagues. “Our fight is for Article 370 and not for day-to-day governance. It includes statehood but goes far beyond it.” Ruhullah said his party had also failed to take a stand in favour of releasing political prisoners, autonomy, and the Constitutional identity of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Srinagar MP’s stand on key issues such as special status for J&K, identity, reservation, and political prisoners made him a popular figure in the Valley. During the Assembly elections last year, he was one of the most sought-after star campaigners from the party.
The sense of goodwill, however, did not last for long and late last year, the MP called for a peaceful protest outside the CM’s residence, demanding “rationalisation of the reservation policy”. Mehdi also publicly acknowledged that the channels of communication between him and Omar were not open.
NC sources said on Saturday Omar, taken aback by Ruhullah’s criticism, pointed out that the key issues of dignity, identity, and rights of people could only be addressed once Jammu and Kashmir got back statehood. He asked the MP to contest the next Assembly bypolls and be “part of the government”. The CM also told the MP that the party did not question his decision to contest the parliamentary elections, though he had earlier said he would not contest polls after the abrogation of J&K’s special status.
This did not go down well with Ruhullah, according to those present at the meeting. “Let’s get this straight. You approached me,” the MP told Omar amid a stunned silence in the room. He then offered to resign from Parliament “if it helps restore clarity” about the NC’s “original cause”. The MP said his interactions with people indicated that they were feeling “disillusioned and abandoned by a party that once stood for something bigger than power”.
Sources said at the meeting Omar tried to brush aside the MP’s accusations and said that he meets people from across the Union Territory who tell him they “want basic governance”. When Omar made this point, Ruhullah walked out, according to those present.
However, the party’s chief spokesperson Tanvir Sadiq denied this, saying, “Aga Ruhullah did not stage any walkout. He was present throughout the discussions, and everything transpired in a healthy and respectful environment. He (Ruhullah) took proper permission before exiting the meeting.”
An NC leader said Ruhullah’s stand was “not pragmatic” and that Omar was being realistic by “focusing on governance”.
“This is a long fight, and we have to move step by step. We can’t rush through and make everyone an enemy. We hope Ruhullah sahib realises this and moves shoulder to shoulder with other leaders,” he said.
