SRINAGAR: A day after reports surfaced of a deepening rift within the ruling National Conference (NC), the party on Sunday moved into damage control mode, strongly denying that party MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi walked out of a recent working committee meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
The Srinagar MP, known for his ideological rigidity and public criticism of the party’s post-2019 positions, reportedly clashed with Omar at the closed-door meeting held on Saturday. According to insiders, Ruhullah openly questioned what he described as the NC’s “departure from its ideological stand” and accused the leadership of “abandoning” core promises made to the electorate, including the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and statehood.
“We are betraying the people by abandoning the core promises we made in our manifesto,” a party source quoted Ruhullah as saying during the meeting. “Our fight is for Article 370 and not for day-to-day governance. It includes statehood but goes far beyond it.”
Sunday musing
There are doers & there are talkers. That’s why I don’t talk as much as some people I know. pic.twitter.com/ke6q0cKirx— Omar Abdullah (@OmarAbdullah) May 25, 2025
According to multiple sources present, the tension reached a boiling point when Omar defended his governance priorities and asked Ruhullah to contest the next Assembly bypolls to be “part of the government”. In response, Ruhullah reportedly retorted, “Let’s get this straight. You approached me,” and even offered to resign from Parliament if it helps restore clarity” about the NC’s ideological position. Those present claim Ruhullah then left the room, visibly upset.
However, the party’s leadership quickly rejected reports of a walkout. Chief spokesperson and MLA Zadibal, Tanvir Sadiq, dismissed the claims as “fabricated, baseless, and politically motivated”.
یا ژٕ وتھ بَن یُتھ سُخنور یُتھ ژٕ قومس یکھ بکار
نتہٕ نرین منز بنگرِ لاگتھ بیہہ ژٕ زانپانس اندر
— Ruhullah Mehdi (@RuhullahMehdi) May 25, 2025
“Agha Ruhullah did not stage any walkout. He was present throughout the discussions, and everything transpired in a healthy and respectful environment,” Sadiq said. “He left only after informing both Dr Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah, due to a personal emergency involving a sick relative.”
He further alleged that the rumours were being spread by “vested interests” seeking to disrupt the party’s momentum after it passed a unanimous seven-point resolution reaffirming its stand on the restoration of Article 370 and full statehood.
“This is an attempt to blunt the NC resolution passed with unity and clarity of purpose. Some people are clearly unsettled and resorting to misinformation,” he said.
The political drama spilled over to social media on Sunday, with cryptic tweets from both Omar Abdullah and Aga Ruhullah stoking speculation. Omar posted: “There are doers and there are talkers. That’s why I don’t talk as much as some people I know.” Ruhullah, in an apparent response, quoted the poet Janbaaz Kishtwari: “Either rise and become such a sukhanvar (orator) who serves a purpose for the nation; Or sit in the comfort of the zanpaan (palanquin).”
These exchanges have fuelled public curiosity and raised questions over the unity within the NC, especially as Ruhullah continues to position himself as the party’s ideological conscience. In recent months, he has accused the leadership of not doing enough on issues such as political prisoners, constitutional identity, and the controversial reservation policy, going so far as to call for peaceful protests outside the Chief Minister’s residence last year.
Despite the public denial of any discord, NC insiders admit that Ruhullah’s persistent ideological assertions have created discomfort within the party’s upper echelons, which are increasingly focused on governance and electoral pragmatism.
A senior NC leader defended Omar’s approach. “This is a long fight. We have to move step by step. We can’t afford to antagonise everyone at once. We hope Ruhullah sahib realises this and walks shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the leadership.”
