Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi resigned from the National Conference (NC) on Tuesday, 12 November 2024, in a public ceremony at Behisht‑e‑Zehra park in Budgam. He signed a two‑page resignation letter on the podium in front of thousands of supporters and later emailed the letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, ending his 24‑year association with the party. Mehdi, who has represented the Budgam assembly constituency in three terms and was elected to the Lok Sabha from Srinagar in the 2024 general election, said the resignation was a “symbolic gesture” to free himself from the NC. He handed the signed document to Muhammad Ashraf Mattoo, the father of 17‑year‑old Tufail Mattoo, who was killed in 2010 during alleged police firing when Omar Abdullah was chief minister. The MP, whose father Aga Syed Mehdi was assassinated in a suspected militant attack in Budgam on 3 November 2000, chose the anniversary of his father’s death to announce his departure from the party and his parliamentary seat. He has been a vocal critic of the NC’s leadership, particularly former chief minister Omar Abdullah and NC president Farooq Abdullah. During the speech, Mehdi accused Farooq Abdullah of lying to Kashmiris about the restoration of Article 370 and of backtracking on promises made to the people. He also criticised Omar Abdullah’s government for failing to deliver on key manifesto commitments, including rationalisation of reservation, provision of 200 units of electricity, and restoration of constitutional guarantees. “You disappointed every Kashmiri by going to the Prime Minister and Home Minister with shawls after you won the Assembly election,” he said. “You lied and misled the people, you used me.” Mehdi highlighted the NC’s stance on Article 370, arguing that those who had removed the constitutional guarantees would not be the ones to restore them. He said the party had abandoned its ideological principles and had become “enslaved” by the centre. “Kashmir will speak on its own terms, not on the agenda you set,” he added. The MP also addressed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), stating that the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh would no longer compromise their dignity. “Our constitutional protections are our right, and we consider those our dignity,” he said. Mehdi’s resignation follows a series of public disagreements with the NC. In December 2024 he joined students protesting the lack of open‑merit representation in education and jobs, standing outside the chief minister’s residence on Gupkar Road. Since then he has not attended internal NC meetings, and NC MLAs have reportedly been absent from constituency‑related administrative gatherings. In his final remarks, Mehdi expressed a desire to find “honest young people” who are willing to join politics and fight for the rights and dignity of Kashmiris. “I will go as far as I need to find them,” he said.
Article source: Indian Express | Image credit: Indian Express