The Member of Parliament from Srinagar and Jammu and Kashmir National Conference’s senior leader, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, has said that he has made up his mind to resign from the party soon, accusing its leadership of choosing a “path of surrender”.
Since the Narendra Modi government scrapped Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status in August 2019 and downgraded the erstwhile state into a Union territory, Mehdi has consistently advocated for the restoration of special status and greater autonomy. His party, however, has primarily focused on securing the restoration of statehood.
While speaking to The Decifer over phone, Mehdi said, "I have made my mind for resignation as the NC as party is not changing anything."
On being asked if there is anything that could make him rethink his decision, Mehdi added that there has to be drastic change in NC's "approach, policy and functioning" in order for him to rethink.
"I will be speaking more about it very soon," he said.
The divergence between Mehdi and the National Conference leadership has widened over the years, with the Srinagar MP repeatedly taking positions that have put him at odds with his party. Since NC returned to power in Jammu and Kashmir in 2024 with a majority mandate, Mehdi has continued to publicly question the government’s approach on the restoration of statehood and implementation of the party’s manifesto.
Earlier in an interview with the Hindustan Times, Mehdi said his association with National Conference could end soon.
“I need a little more time to deliver on certain things to further the agenda of the people and soon I will take a call,” he said. “And resign.”
Mehdi said his differences with the party flared up from what he described as its betrayal of the political mandate it received from the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is a path of betraying people’s trust and of course someone who brings accountability to the table is unwanted in that situation,” he told the Hindustan Times. “I believe in asking questions. I believe in checking ourselves vis-a-vis our commitment to our people, whether we are on the right track or not.”
Mehdi has also criticised the NC’s focus on statehood, arguing that the party had moved away from its earlier position on restoring the constitutional protections and guarantees that Jammu and Kashmir had under Article 370. “The rights that were snatched from us, the protections, the constitutional guarantees which were given to us through Article 370 and were snatched from us is our objective and we will fight for that,” he said.
He also warned that settling for statehood could eventually make it a “fait accompli”. Referring to the 1975 accord, Mehdi argued that accepting what was immediately achievable had previously meant that the larger demand for restoration of the pre-1953 position was never realised.
He added that when a party moves away from the commitments it made to voters, those who demand accountability can become unwelcome.
“So, in this kind of a situation when you want to betray the mandate and betray the trust and go away from the line you committed to, you can’t tolerate a person who asks for accountability,” Mehdi said. “He becomes an irritant. In that sense, I meant that I’m not needed.”
Mehdi maintained that his own actions were consistent with the National Conference’s manifesto and the promises it had made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
“Then, it means that I am not the one who is going against the party,” he said. “Those who are compromising the policy that it promised to the people, they are betraying the party. Questions should be asked of them, not of me.”
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