Srinagar, Aug 28 (JKNS): National Conference Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has written to party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, questioning the party’s present political position on Article 370 and statehood and asserting that Jammu and Kashmir’s political aspirations should not be limited to what the BJP is willing to concede.
In his detailed letter dated August 28, a copy of which lies with news agency JKNS, Ruhullah referred to Farooq Abdullah’s August 25 statement, “How long will you be a slave? You have to stand on your feet sometimes. When will you stand?” and said the remarks resonated with the frustration of people of Jammu and Kashmir who, according to him, are often expected to adopt a posture of supplication before the BJP while seeking what they consider rightfully theirs.
Ruhullah said he was compelled to ask why his own demand for constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir should be objected to if Farooq Abdullah’s remarks were not merely “hollow posturing” for public consumption.
Referring to Farooq Abdullah’s reported statement that “You want 370, but you beg from Delhi,” Ruhullah said the uncomfortable truth was that even demands for Article 370 and statehood were being presented before Delhi. He questioned why the National Conference’s position had effectively become no different from that of the BJP if statehood was accepted as the outer limit of Jammu and Kashmir’s political aspirations.
The Srinagar MP argued that treating statehood as the ultimate political goal risks legitimising and normalising the constitutional changes of August 2019, while potentially surrendering constitutional protections which, he said, are important given Jammu and Kashmir’s unique geopolitical situation, culture, traditions and fragile environment.
Ruhullah also questioned the National Conference’s 2024 Assembly election manifesto, which had promised restoration of Article 370, asking why the party included the issue in its manifesto despite knowing that the BJP was in power at the Centre.
“Were we making promises we knew we could not keep or perhaps never truly intended to keep?” he asked, questioning whether the events of August 2019 were invoked for political mileage only to be set aside after the formation of the government.
The MP said he wanted “no share in this lie” and claimed that this position had made him the target of a “coordinated campaign of rebuke,” including criticism from the party president and others within the party.
Ruhullah maintained that Article 370, in his view, represents the broader struggle for the dignity, honour, constitutional guarantees and liberties of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
He also raised concerns over unemployment, land, resources, religious rights, traditions, language and environmental degradation, arguing that elected representatives should fight against what he described as the “constant degradation and dehumanisation” of Jammu and Kashmir rather than adjust political aspirations to what the BJP is willing to concede.
“Our responsibility is to push the horizon of our demands, to fight for constitutional guarantees that protect our people, our rich and diverse traditions, our resources, and the land we hold most dearly,” Ruhullah wrote.
Questioning Farooq Abdullah’s demand for his resignation, Ruhullah recalled that Abdullah had served as Chief Minister when the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly passed the Autonomy Resolution.
“Why, then, has the mere mention of constitutional guarantees for Jammu-Kashmir now become so offensive that you felt compelled to publicly demand my resignation?” he asked, adding, “What has changed—the aspirations of our people, or the JKNC’s willingness to stand up for them?”
Ruhullah said there were “many more questions” but that he would await Farooq Abdullah’s response, as would the people of Jammu and Kashmir, who, he said, had a right to know what the National Conference truly stands for.
On the resignation issue, Ruhullah said, “Rest assured, the resignation will come. It would have come even without you asking, but before that must come accountability.”
Addressing Farooq Abdullah’s reported remarks questioning who he was before joining the National Conference, Ruhullah said he was the “inheritor of a long tradition of martyrdom” and the son of a martyr.
He further said that Farooq Abdullah had personally invited him to join the National Conference, adding that not many people knew this but Abdullah did.
“I hope that, before launching another public attack on my background, you will remember this,” Ruhullah wrote before signing off the letter “With respect.” (JKNS)
