SRINAGAR: National Conference’s Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi announced Friday that he would resign from both Lok Sabha and the party, taking up patriarch Farooq Abdullah’s public dare to quit and contest an election on his own instead of criticising the brass repeatedly over its alleged dilution of the campaign for restoration of Article 370.Mehdi said he would formally send his resignation to LS Speaker Om Birla on Nov 3, coinciding with the 26th death anniversary of his father Aga Syed Mehdi, who was killed by terrorists.In a letter to Farooq, who remains NC president, Mehdi flagged what he sees as a dichotomy in the party’s stand on constitutional guarantees for the region. “I remember that you were the chief minister of the very assembly that passed the autonomy resolution. That, too, must have required courage. Why, then, has the mere mention of constitutional guarantees for Jammu & Kashmir now become so offensive that you felt compelled to publicly demand my resignation?”The MP described Article 370, struck off on Aug 5, 2019, as part of the decision to revoke J&K’s special status, as “shorthand for the struggle to restore the dignity, honour, constitutional guarantees and liberties” of Kashmiris.“Nearly 65% of J&K’s population is young, and their future is increasingly uncertain, with no jobs and opportunities. Our land is up for grabs. Our resources benefit everybody but us. Our religious rights, traditions and language face constant pressure,” Mehdi wrote.
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The MP has been increasingly critical of CM Omar Abdullah and NC for allegedly narrowing their fight to statehood and business rules for governance. Although a member of the party’s working committee, he hasn’t been part of crucial meetings.His rift with the party deepened after Dec 23, 2024, when he led a large student protest outside Omar’s Gupkar residence against the UT’s reservation policy. Omar engaged five student representatives in a long discussion but ignored Mehdi.Earlier this week, Farooq said Mehdi would not have won the parliamentary election without NC and accused him of trying to project himself as a powerful votary of Article 370 while being “on the wrong path”.
