Srinagar MP Says He Is Weighing NC President’s Call, Says He Will Respond Within Days
SRINAGAR, AUGUST 25: Srinagar Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday said he would announce his decision in the coming days after National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah publicly asked him to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate from the people.
Responding to questions from reporters, Ruhullah stopped short of saying whether he would step down as MP but made it clear that he was taking Abdullah’s demand seriously.
Ruhullah said he could not simply dismiss a request coming from the veteran National Conference leader and would give the matter due consideration before making his position clear.
“It is not possible that Doctor Sahib asks me for something and I don’t give it to him. It is not possible that I send him back empty-handed,” Ruhullah said.
The Srinagar MP said he would take a few days before giving a definite response to the demand.
“I will give an answer in a few days,” he said.
Ruhullah’s remarks came after Abdullah challenged him to vacate his parliamentary seat and face the electorate again if he believed his victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was based largely on his own political standing and public support.
“If you think people voted for you, resign and go back to them. We will see how many votes you get,” Abdullah had said.
The public exchange has brought renewed attention to differences between Ruhullah and sections of the National Conference leadership over the party’s political strategy and its handling of key issues concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
Ruhullah has repeatedly taken a strong position on issues including the restoration of Article 370, statehood and constitutional and political rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah, meanwhile, has maintained that the Srinagar MP is free to raise Article 370 and other issues in Parliament, while also questioning the manner in which he has approached some of these matters.
The NC president has also underlined the importance of the party organisation and its cadre in electoral victories, arguing that candidates contesting on the National Conference ticket benefit significantly from the support of party workers and the organisation on the ground.
With Ruhullah now saying that he will respond to Abdullah’s challenge within days, attention is likely to remain focused on his next political move and whether the ongoing differences within the National Conference will escalate further.(KNC)
