Srinagar, Nov 03: National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday launched a direct attack on Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, accusing the party leadership of abandoning its political commitments after coming to power and using him to secure electoral support during the 2024 elections.
Reiterating his decision to quit the National Conference and resign from the Lok Sabha, Ruhullah said he was unwilling to compromise his dignity for political power. In a pointed message to Omar, he said the chair occupied by the Chief Minister had become a source of sadness for both the leadership and those who had supported the party.
“The chair you are sitting on right now is a source of sadness for both you and us,” he said.
Ruhullah’s criticism centred on the National Conference’s promise to fight for the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights, including the special status revoked on August 5, 2019. He accused the party of seeking votes by presenting itself as the guardian of the people’s dignity but failing to pursue that agenda after forming the government.
“You used me,” Ruhullah said, alleging that the party had approached him to contest the parliamentary elections and subsequently sought his support during the Assembly polls on the assurance that it would fight for the rights and dignity of Jammu and Kashmir.
“You told people that you were the guardians of their dignity. You said that if anyone touched that dignity, it would be like grabbing you by the collar. That dignity was buried on August 5, 2019. Tell me now, where is that dignity? Where is that autonomy?” he asked.
He said he had raised questions about the party’s political direction even before the 2024 elections, making it clear that he did not want to be part of a political arrangement driven primarily by the pursuit of office.
Recalling the parliamentary elections, Ruhullah said his candidature was initially discussed for Baramulla before he was eventually fielded from Srinagar, where he won. He also recalled a conversation with Omar Abdullah after the latter’s defeat in Baramulla, claiming that the Chief Minister had told him that the dignity of the National Conference and the people of Jammu and Kashmir was now in his hands.
Ruhullah said he had taken that responsibility seriously and continued to raise the issue of constitutional rights in Parliament.
However, he alleged that the party began distancing itself from its commitments soon after assuming office.
“You got power in 2024, and from the second day, when we spoke about Article 370, you started saying no. Is this the dignity you promised?” he asked.
The MP also questioned Omar Abdullah’s public remarks praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visits to Jammu and Kashmir, particularly his comments at a railway inauguration.
Referring to the Chief Minister’s remarks that Modi had achieved what the British could not, Ruhullah asked why he had not used the occasion to raise the issue of restoring the constitutional rights of the people.
“Did you ever tell him that you had saddened the people by taking away their rights? Did you ask him to sit with the people and restore those rights?” he said.
Ruhullah also questioned the importance attached to ministerial positions within the party, arguing that the pursuit of political office had overshadowed the larger question of public dignity.
“Is dignity about occupying a chair? Is it dignity when someone does not get a ministerial berth and begins crying like a child?” he asked.
In another direct reference to Omar Abdullah, he said the Chief Minister should not have to sacrifice his dignity to remain in power.
“He did not need to put his cap and dignity at the feet of others. I pray to God that I never become so dependent on power that I have to throw away my cap to hold on to it,” he said.
Contrasting his decision to relinquish political office with the disappointment of those who lose positions, Ruhullah said: “People who lose chairs get unhappy, but here we are throwing away a chair, and we are happy.”
Invoking Budgam, which he represents in the Lok Sabha, he said political authority was not the measure of public respect.
“If you want to see what real respect looks like, come to Budgam,” he said, adding that he hoped never to reach a point where retaining power required compromising his dignity.
“I hope I will never sacrifice dignity for power,” he said.
Ruhullah’s remarks signal a deepening rupture with the National Conference leadership over the party’s approach to Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and political demands. His proposed resignation from the party and the Lok Sabha comes amid growing differences over the commitments made during the 2024 election campaign.
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