Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Nov 3: After the strong internal dissent surfacing in the National Conference in Jammu and Kashmir over expansion of his cabinet by the chief minister Omar Abdullah and distribution of portfolios last week, the ruling party suffered a major setback on Tuesday when the party Member of the Lok Sabha representing Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, resigned both from the party and Parliament allegedly for “surrendering” to the BJP, the ruling party at the Centre.
The formal announcement by Mr Mehdi was made on the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, at an emotional gathering in Budgam. The move ends Ruhullah’s 24-year association with the NC and sets the stage for a by-election in Srinagar once his resignation is accepted by the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Mehdi accused the NC’s top brass of surrendering to the BJP, which is at power in the Centre, and said Abdullah has failed to fulfil the party’s 2024 election manifesto, especially on the issue of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A from Jammu and Kashmir.
“It’s a difficult task, but I want to do it. I want to take this responsibility because, in my opinion, this is the only solution,” Mehdi told the gathering. “Those who have secured the chair by removing their caps and placing them at the feet of the electorate should come here and witness what genuine respect and love mean.”
Along with his resignation, he also left behind a four-page letter of political indictment of the party’s leadership. Accusing the NC of betraying the “anger, emotions and massive mandate” the people gave it in the 2024 assembly polls, Ruhullah said the party did an ‘about turn’ as soon as the electoral battle was over.
“I will begin with a note that meshes history with the present of the region that I belong to, Jammu and Kashmir. Our region and its people bear the burden of history,” he wrote, adding that the weight of history hangs on Kashmir’s past, present and future “like the Damocles Sword.” Terming the abrogation of Article 370 and 35-A in 2019 as a ‘brazen assault’ on the rights of Kashmiris, he said, “Rights make a people. Without these, there is just erasure of a people.”
Calling it a personal betrayal, Ruhullah said what hurt him most was the betrayal of the people’s expectations at a time when J&K faces an existential threat. “This was a time when able and determined leadership was needed to take the struggle for rights further. But the NC abdicated this space for mere government and for a vain and vague promise of so-called restoration of statehood,” he charged.
The letter notes that when he raised these concerns, strains developed and insult was added to injury when the party aligned itself to a stance of “total and absolute abdication.” Ruhullah, who has been vocal on issues of reservation rationalisation, political prisoners and restoration of Article 370, cited ideological differences and the party’s inaction on these fronts as the breaking point.
Sources close to this firebrand MP said he has no immediate plans to join another party and instead intends to build a youth-led collective, while making it clear he will not destabilize the Omar Abdullah government. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he was elected from Srinagar after he defeated People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader Waheed Para by a margin of more than 1.8 lakh votes. His supporters have backed his decision to quit the NC, calling him a “good leader and honest” person.
Last week, the NC faced growing internal dissent following the cabinet reshuffle inducting four new ministers triggering fresh questions over the unity of the ruling party. The BJP had claimed that at least 16 NC MLAs were unhappy with the chief minister and had predicted an imminent fall of the Abdullah ministry.
The discontent has become increasingly visible, with senior NC leader and six-time MLA Mubarak Gul openly expressing his displeasure over the developments. Although he was reportedly offered the post of party general secretary, the offer failed to address his grievances. Several other prominent National Conference leaders, including Abdul Majeed Larmi, Nazir Gurezi, Hilal Akbar Lone and Arjun Singh Raju, are also said to be dissatisfied, though none of them have made any public statement.
The scale of the reported discontent was also reflected in the absence of 11 MLAs from the swearing-in ceremony of four ministers held on October 27. Their absence has added to speculation about growing differences within the ruling party following the cabinet reshuffle.
The BJP has seized on the developments to target the National Conference leadership, alleging that the cabinet expansion has exposed serious divisions within the ruling party. Senior BJP leader and spokesperson Altaf Thakur said the manner in which the National Conference expanded its cabinet had brought its internal differences into the public domain. He claimed that several MLAs were unhappy, while some prominent leaders had become deeply disappointed with the party’s decisions.
National Conference MLA and newly inducted minister Altaf Kaloo, however, has rejected suggestions of a major internal crisis within the party. He dismissed concerns about resentment among party leaders and maintained that the National Conference remained united.
He acknowledged that minor disagreements and grievances could arise within a political organisation but said such differences should not be interpreted as signs that anyone had been sidelined or removed from the party. Kaloo insisted that the National Conference was strong and united, pushing back against the BJP’s claims of widespread dissatisfaction.