SRINAGAR, NOVEMBER 3: The National Conference (NC) on Tuesday accused Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of working against the party in the Budgam Assembly by-election, alleging that he had become instrumental in its defeat despite continuing to remain a member of the party.
In a strongly worded response to Ruhullah’s recent speech, the NC questioned his commitment to the issues of special status, statehood and reservation, challenging him to spell out his efforts in Parliament to pursue the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.
The party alleged that Ruhullah had undermined the NC from within and said his decision to resign came too late, claiming that he should have quit a year ago when he allegedly joined forces opposed to the party’s mandate.
“While sitting in NC, he became instrumental in the defeat of the party in the Assembly by-election of the Budgam seat. Where was his conscience then? Backstabbing the same party he owed his political existence,” the party said.
The NC also claimed that Ruhullah resigned only after being directed to do so by the party president, adding that he had remembered to quit only when asked by the party leadership.
Questioning his parliamentary record on special status, the party asked what efforts he had made to mobilise support among opposition parties and MPs or move a resolution or bill seeking restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s erstwhile constitutional position.
It recalled that Ruhullah had welcomed the resolution passed by the J&K Legislative Assembly on November 6 demanding restoration of special status, describing it as a promise delivered.
The party questioned why he had not made similar efforts in Parliament, particularly when he had managed to secure signatures of more than 100 MPs from different parties for an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav.
“Can he tell us if he ever made such an effort to gather signatures of MPs for the restoration of special status or statehood? Did he even try to move a resolution or bill in Parliament in this regard?” the NC asked.
The party also accused Ruhullah of failing to adequately raise the issue of the erosion of the elected government’s authority under the Union Territory arrangement, alleging that departments formally under the elected government continued to be controlled by the Lieutenant Governor.
On reservation, the NC said the existing policy had been formulated during the LG’s rule and acknowledged that it had caused injustice to candidates from the open merit category.
It said the issue had figured prominently in its election manifesto and that the NC government had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to examine changes to the reservation policy, resulting in what it described as the first significant changes.
However, the party alleged that the file had subsequently been stalled by the authorities and questioned whether Ruhullah had raised the matter in Parliament or sought an explanation from the Centre.
It further asked whether he had organised any protest against the Lieutenant Governor or raised concerns over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations and the exclusion of job aspirants from the system.
Reiterating its position on the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional status, the NC said the demand for statehood would not come at the expense of special status.
“Our thrust on restoration of statehood is not and will never be at the expense of the special status,” the party said, maintaining that protection and preservation of Jammu and Kashmir’s identity and constitutional rights remained central to its political ideology.
The party said reclaiming what had been taken away from Jammu and Kashmir required political strategy rather than what it termed theatrics, arguing that public attention and social media traction alone would not deliver results.
In a personal attack on Ruhullah, the NC described his speech as a manifestation of “mental and moral bankruptcy” and self-obsession, accusing him of using derogatory and unparliamentary language against the party leadership while invoking the Quran and its message of human dignity.
The party also recalled Ruhullah’s political association with the NC, saying he had begun his political career with the party, served three terms as an MLA, held a ministerial position and was elected to Parliament on its ticket.
It questioned his criticism of the party after 25 years of association, arguing that his political career had been built under the NC banner.
