Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Monday announced his decision to resign from the National Conference (NC) and his Lok Sabha membership, accusing the party's leadership of treating Jammu and Kashmir as a “family estate” and failing to honour its promises to the people.
In a statement, Ruhullah said the party leadership expected people to vote for it and then “know their place”, alleging that the Abdullah family had treated Jammu and Kashmir as an inheritance passed down through generations.
He accused the NC leadership of betraying the people's mandate and said the party had failed to distinguish between a broken promise and political necessity.
"Our region and its people bear the burden of history. The weight of history hangs on our past, present and future like the Damocles Sword. This is all the more burdensome since the abrogation of Article 35A and Article 370 in 2019. This shock to the people, our history, and our politic was a brazen assault on our rights," he wrote.
He said 2019 was also paradoxically an opportunity to reclaim politics, political space and rights, but it called for struggle, sacrifices and prices.
"My working assumption then was that the National Conference, the grand old party of Kashmir, was the natural candidate for the struggle that the situation demanded," he said.
Ruhullah said he approached the party leadership and was assured of a struggle. Based on this assurance, he aligned his politics more vigorously with the NC with the hope that it would create and catalyze a movement for restoration of rights.
"But, alas, this was not to be. I vigorously and tirelessly campaigned in the electoral arena in 2024. I will not claim credit for the vote share and seat share of the NC. All I will say is I did my best. The people poured their anger and expectations on NC with a massive mandate. But the electoral arena had not yet cooled down, the NC did an about turn," he wrote.
Ruhullah said he would not compromise on his principles, making it clear that his decision was driven by his refusal to abandon his political convictions.
“I will stick to my principles, no matter what,” he said.
Ruhullah's announcement follows months of growing differences with the party leadership, particularly over the NC government's handling of issues such as the restoration of Article 370 and the reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Srinagar MP had repeatedly questioned the Omar Abdullah-led government over its failure to fulfil the commitments made in the party's election manifesto.
His differences with the party had also become public during the debate over the rationalisation of reservations in the Union Territory, when he criticised the government's approach and demanded greater clarity on its position.
The development marks a major political setback for the National Conference, which returned to power in Jammu and Kashmir after the 2024 Assembly elections.
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