'After Farooq Abdullah, there would be no National Conference': Aga Ruhullah calls quitting party his 'political suicide' for principles

Senior National Conference leader and Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has defended his decision to quit the party and relinquish his parliamentary seat, saying his move is driven by principles and conscience rather than political ambition or electoral calculations. In a sharp attack on the party leadership, Ruhullah accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of betraying the mandate of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, alleging that the government had retreated from its commitments on Article 370, restoration of constitutional rights, reservations, employment and electricity relief.

Asked whether quitting the party and his seat could amount to political suicide, Ruhullah dismissed concerns about the future of his political career. “If standing for principles is suicide, one should do that. If given a chance, I’ll commit this suicide multiple times, hundreds of times,” he said.

“This is a pure decision of conscience, conviction and principles. One cannot trade principles for the perks of power, for a career,” he added. Ruhullah said voters had trusted the National Conference despite its past mistakes, hoping the party would stand up to the BJP and defend Jammu and Kashmir’s political, religious and cultural identity following the abrogation of Article 370.

He alleged that the party began backtracking on its commitments almost immediately after the election results. Referring to Omar Abdullah’s post-election remarks on Article 370 and statehood, Ruhullah said the shift in emphasis was “shocking”, arguing that reducing the political struggle to the restoration of statehood risked normalising the existing status quo.

Ruhullah further alleged that the National Conference government facilitated silence in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on the Waqf Amendment Act, calling it ironic that the only Muslim-majority Assembly had failed to pass a resolution against the legislation while other states had taken up the issue.

Taking aim at the chief minister’s handling of disgruntled legislators following the recent Cabinet expansion, Ruhullah accused Omar Abdullah of publicly exposing private communications from party MLAs who had approached him regarding Cabinet positions. He alleged that the chief minister could have responded to the legislators privately instead of taking their messages to the media.

Ruhullah contrasted the episode with criticism he had faced within the party for raising public issues in the media, saying the same standards of party discipline had not been applied consistently. On the National Conference’s future, Ruhullah said the party’s survival would be uncertain in the absence of its president, Farooq Abdullah.

While wishing the veteran leader a long and healthy life, he claimed that the organisation would not survive under Omar Abdullah’s leadership or control once Farooq Abdullah was no longer at the helm. Asked about his political roadmap, Ruhullah said he was not immediately looking to launch a new party or pursue electoral calculations, but wanted to bring together individuals committed to political integrity and conviction.

“There’s no dearth of political parties. There’s a dearth of political character and conviction,” he said, citing what he described as repeated betrayals by successive political formations, including the PDP and the National Conference. He said leaders dissatisfied with the party over positions or personal ambitions would have no place in his proposed political platform.

Those willing to join, he said, must be prepared to sacrifice their positions and return to the people without political baggage. “Come back empty-handed. Every baggage shed, every greed kicked away. Come back to the people. Let’s start afresh, start from zero,” he said.