Examiner Bureau | Srinagar:
Srinagar Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday said he would respond within a few days to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s demand that he resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate from voters.
While Ruhullah stopped short of confirming whether he would resign, he indicated that he was giving the veteran leader’s request serious consideration and reiterated his respect for Abdullah.
“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 told reporters.
He said Abdullah had made the request at an advanced age and that he did not want to reject it without giving the matter due consideration.
“I will give an answer in a few days,” the Srinagar MP said.
Ruhullah’s remarks came a day after Farooq Abdullah challenged him to resign and return to the electorate if he believed his 2024 Lok Sabha victory was primarily the result of his personal political standing.
“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 statement has added a new dimension to the growing political differences between the Srinagar MP and the National Conference leadership.
Ruhullah was elected from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections, defeating his principal rivals and emerging as a prominent political voice from the Valley.
The disagreement between Ruhullah and the National Conference leadership has increasingly centred on issues concerning the restoration of Article 370, statehood and the constitutional and political rights of Jammu and Kashmir.
Ruhullah has frequently raised these issues in Parliament and has advocated a more assertive political approach towards the restoration of the rights that Jammu and Kashmir enjoyed before the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Farooq Abdullah, while maintaining that the party remains committed to its political position on Jammu and Kashmir, has questioned Ruhullah’s approach and stressed the importance of the National Conference’s organisational structure and grassroots workers.
Abdullah has maintained that candidates contesting elections on the National Conference ticket benefit from the support of the party organisation and its workers.
The latest exchange is significant because both leaders have traditionally been associated with the National Conference, although Ruhullah’s recent positions have increasingly reflected an independent political voice.
The resignation challenge could potentially test the extent of Ruhullah’s personal support among voters in Srinagar and, at the same time, highlight the political weight of the National Conference organisation.
For Ruhullah, any decision to resign would carry considerable political consequences. It could lead to a fresh electoral contest in Srinagar and provide voters with an opportunity to directly assess his political standing.
For the National Conference, meanwhile, a by-election could become an important test of its organisational strength and public support in one of its traditional strongholds.
Despite the sharp political exchange, Ruhullah’s response indicated that he continues to hold Farooq Abdullah in high regard.
His reference to Abdullah as “Doctor Sahib” and his statement that he could not send him “back empty-handed” suggested that personal respect remains intact despite the differences over political strategy.
The coming days are therefore likely to be closely watched, particularly for Ruhullah’s response to the resignation demand and whether he chooses to accept the challenge and return to the electorate.
A decision by the Srinagar MP to resign could trigger a fresh political contest in the Valley and potentially reshape the relationship between him and the National Conference leadership.
