WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: National Conference on Wednesday said the BJP had succeeded in its “Operation Lotus” by pushing Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi out of the party, while asserting that the development would not weaken the NC.
Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, Sagar said the BJP had been attempting to weaken the National Conference for decades and had now succeeded in getting one of its MPs to leave the party. “With a heavy heart, I say that the BJP has succeeded in pushing Aga Ruhullah out of the National Conference,” Sagar said, alleging that the move was part of a broader attempt to weaken the party in Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the NC had faced repeated attempts to undermine its leadership, particularly since 2018, when several party leaders were detained under the Public Safety Act.
Sagar said the party had faced many difficult phases and would not be weakened by the departure of any individual. “People will come and go, governments will come and go, but this party’s mission and its commitment to the rights of the people will remain,” he said. Ruhullah announced his resignation from the National Conference and the Lok Sabha on Tuesday at a public gathering in Budgam, citing differences with the party leadership over its position on constitutional rights and reservation.
The NC leaders said Ruhullah had the democratic right to question the leadership but criticised the language he used against the party and its senior leaders.
Sagar questioned why Ruhullah had not approached the party’s elected representatives to raise his concerns, saying he could have mobilised support within the organisation rather than resigning. He also questioned Ruhullah’s parliamentary record, saying the MP had not taken enough initiatives to highlight the concerns of the people of Jammu and Kashmir. “The mandate belonged to the party and its people. If he wanted to fight for the rights of the people, he could have done so alongside the 50 MLAs of the National Conference,” Sagar said.
The NC leaders rejected Ruhullah’s allegations that the party had abandoned its commitments on Article 370 and the special constitutional position of Jammu and Kashmir. They said the party’s position on Articles 370 and 35A remained unchanged and that the restoration of constitutional rights and statehood continued to be central to its political agenda.
Sagar said the party had also taken initiatives to address concerns over reservation, including the formation of a Cabinet Sub-Committee to examine the issue. He said the National Conference had included reservation-related measures in its manifesto and that the government was working to address the concerns of open-merit candidates.
MLA Sajad Shaheen said Ruhullah had been given an opportunity to contest the 2024 parliamentary elections on the NC ticket and questioned why he had not raised his concerns earlier. Shaheen said Parliament was the highest constitutional platform for an elected representative to raise public issues, but alleged that Ruhullah had failed to take sufficient initiatives during his tenure. The NC leaders said the party would continue to represent the political aspirations and constitutional rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, regardless of individual departures.
BJP trying to weaken NC, says Deputy CM
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Wednesday accused the BJP of misleading Aga Ruhullah and attempting to weaken and break the National Conference (NC).
Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday resigned from his Lok Sabha seat as well as from the National Conference, ending a bitter stalemate and accusing the party leadership, particularly chief minister Omar Abdullah, of betraying its promises to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status, even as the BJP said it had no involvement in the regional party’s internal rift.
Reacting to questions about discontent among 10 MLAs and Ruhullah’s resignation from the MP and the party, Choudhary said the BJP should explain its role, particularly in view of the remarks made by its senior leader Ram Madhav.
“Immediately after Aga Ruhullah resigned, BJP leader Ram Madhav issued a statement saying that all those who attended Aga Sahib’s programme were their people. Then why are you asking us these questions? Go and ask the BJP Leader of the Opposition Sunil Sharma,” Choudhary told reporters here.
Taking a dig at the BJP, he said the party misled Ruhullah, whom he described as a decent and respectable person.
“Aga Sahib was a good and respectable person. The BJP misled him, and yesterday the BJP itself said that Aga Sahib was their man. I am not saying this; Ram Madhav himself said it,” he said.
Choudhary questioned how Ruhullah could be associated with the National Conference if, as claimed by Ram Madhav, the people attending his programme belonged to the BJP.
When a reporter pointed out that Ram Madhav had ruled out forming a government with Ruhullah, the Deputy Chief Minister asked the BJP to clarify its position.
“If Aga Sahib was your man, then why were you indulging in all this drama? The BJP is always indulging in drama,” he said.
Asked about speculation over a possible new political formation involving former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, Aga Ruhullah and MP Engineer Rashid, Choudhary dismissed the question, asking the reporter, “Since when have you become their spokesperson? Since when have you started knowing what they are planning?”
He also urged the media to focus on developments in the rest of the country.
BJP national vice-president Ram Madhav on Tuesday said Ruhullah’s rally in Budgam was held with the blessings of “our people”, drawing a sharp response from the National Conference, which said, “This explained why the lawmaker didn’t have anything to say against the BJP”. “I would not like to comment on the matter, but the National Conference is visibly divided today. Ruhullah is holding the rally today with the blessings of our people,” said Madhav, who played a key role in the formation of the PDP-BJP government in J&K in 2015-2016.
Earlier, Choudhary laid the foundation stone for 68 roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), covering a total length of 495.48 km at a sanctioned cost of Rs 1,164.06 crore.
The foundation stone laying ceremony was held in the presence of the Jammu MP and MLAs. The project is a significant step towards strengthening road connectivity and accelerating development across the region, particularly in rural and remote areas.
