Srinagar : The ruling National Conference (NC) is facing signs of dissent from within, with at least 17 MLAs holding a closed-door meeting days after Chief Minister Omar Abdullah reshuffled the Cabinet, while Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has announced his decision to resign from the party and Lok Sabha seat on November 3.
The group of MLAs held the meeting on Friday evening, amid alleged dissent over the recent Cabinet expansion. Those present included Mubarak Gul, who was recently announced as the party’s general secretary, and Abdul Majid Larmi, who had openly expressed dissatisfaction over his exclusion from the Cabinet.
It has been learnt that the discussions included alleged interference by Nasir Aslam Wani in the party’s affairs. Other organisational issues were also discussed during the meeting.
Meanwhile, in a snub to Mubarak Gul, NC president Farooq Abdullah asked Ali Mohammad Sagar to continue as the party’s general secretary.
In a post on X, MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi stated that he would resign from the party and his Lok Sabha seat on November 3.
“The crown prince and his cabal treat J&K as an estate passed down through the family. They expect the people to vote, then know their place. They take us for fools who cannot tell a broken promise from a political necessity,” he said.
He further stated, “We demanded the restoration of Article 370, the release of prisoners and the protection of our rights. They sought power on those promises, then treated us as fools for expecting them to deliver. We refuse to lend our name to this humiliation. There is no fixing this rot from within.”
Political observers also indicate that Omar Abdullah’s decision to field Ruhullah from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat in the last elections was a politically wrong step, as the constituency has traditionally been a fortress of the Abdullah clan.
