Ganderbal, Sep 12: MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday renewed his call for resignation and stepped up his criticism of the National Conference leadership, questioning the party’s account of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s decision to contest the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections.
He also hinted at a fresh political move, saying his future course would become clear after November 3.
Speaking to reporters in Ganderbal, Agha Ruhullah questioned claims by Health Minister Sakeena Itoo that Omar Abdullah was initially unwilling to contest the 2024 Assembly elections and was persuaded or pressured by the party to enter the electoral fray.
Ruhullah said that if Omar had taken a principled decision not to contest the election, he should have remained firm despite any pressure.
“If it was their principled position, then why did they abandon that position under someone’s pressure?” Ruhullah said.
He questioned the credibility of a leader who changes a principled stand under pressure, saying it becomes difficult to trust that such a person would not change another position in the future under similar circumstances.
“Leadership is about standing by your principles. Leadership means remaining committed to your ideology and convictions,” he said.
Ruhullah claimed he had been a firsthand witness to the party’s proceedings and maintained that there was no major pressure from the National Conference on Omar Abdullah to change his decision regarding the elections.
“I was directly involved in all these matters and in all the party’s proceedings. There was no major pressure from the party telling them to change their decision,” he said.
He further argued that Omar could have resisted any alleged pressure or chosen another person for the Chief Minister’s post, including someone from outside the Abdullah family.
“He could have demonstrated strong leadership, but there was a test and there was an attraction, and he could not resist that attraction,” Ruhullah said.
Referring to his own political plans, Ruhullah said the “match” that he intends to play politically would become clear after November 3.
“If you want to play a match for me or raise slogans in my favour, God willing, we will play that match soon. The political match that we have to play will take place in the coming period. After November 3, you will understand exactly which match I am talking about,” he said.
Ruhullah also spoke about freeing himself from what he described as “chains”, saying that after November 3 he would sit with the people, particularly the youth, to decide the future course collectively.
“Whether a party should be formed or not, what should be done and how we should move forward—all these decisions will be taken collectively,” he said, adding that the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the youth, would be part of the decision-making process.
