MP, Aga Ruhullah’s absence from the ruling JKNC Working Committee meeting deepened concerns over ideological rifts, as he criticised the party’s shifting stance on Article 370, statehood and unfulfilled promises amid Budgam’s by-poll setback, reports Babra Wani
On November 27, as crowds in Ganderbal were busy welcoming JKNC leader and Member of Parliament, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, for a public interaction, the rest of the party leaders, including Dr Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, were engaged in the party’s Working Committee Meeting in Srinagar. The two events were taking place simultaneously.
The meeting was part of the ruling party’s assessment to identify the reasons behind its Budgam loss in the recent by-elections. The constituency, which Aga won for the party every time since 2002, was bagged by Omar in 2024, only to be lost in the by-elections to the rival PDP. Aga is being blamed by his party for the loss as he stayed away from campaigning and flew abroad as the area went to the polls.
At Nawai Subh party headquarters, what caught eyeballs was Aga’s absence in the meeting of the highest decision-making body of the party. In Ganderbal, he himself admitted that he was not invited to attend the meeting for the first time since 2002. “If the working committee meeting is going on, I am a permanent member of it. This is the first time since 2002 that I have not been invited,” he told reporters in Ganderbal. Later, his colleague and Omar’s adviser, Nasir Aslam Wani, confirmed to reporters that Aga had not been invited.
No Personal Ambition
Amid speculation that he was laying the groundwork for a separate political front, the MP dismissed such reports. “I have not kept a distance from any party, nor have I spoken to anyone to form another party,” he said.
Ruhullah, who has openly disagreed with his party’s stand on reservation and the party’s post-election conduct, reiterated his criticism. He said the party owed people clarity and consistency on commitments made during the 2024 Assembly campaign.
“We made promises to the people that we would fight for the return of protections linked to Article 370. We received votes on that. We cannot switch to a different language after getting that mandate,” he said.
Aga said that you cannot promise one thing and then fail to fulfil it. He added that the government should take a stand for the people, because they had moved from place to place to make their own government. They had a power of their own, which was taken away in 2019. “In 2024, we fought to get those rights back, but nobody is speaking now. In 2024, we had said that anyone who spoke about statehood without speaking about Article 370 was a traitor, but for the past year, they themselves had been doing the same,” Aga said. “They were asking only for statehood, and not even very enthusiastically.” He made it clear that his conflict with his party stems from principles rather than personal ambition.
Speaking in the constituency that Omar represents in the assembly, Aga accused the government of failing to protect citizens in incidents of demolition in Ganderbal, asking where the elected representatives were when “bulldozers run just as they do in Uttar Pradesh.”
“If the party strays from its manifesto, it risks destroying not only its own credibility but the broader trust in mainstream politics, a trust that was regained with great difficulty in 2024.” While he insisted he will not protest against the party itself, he vowed to confront the government if it fails to act, stressing that he simply wants the NC to uphold “its own principles” before the damage becomes irreversible.
Soon after the results were announced, Aga cited a Qur’anic verse to indirectly address the outcome, describing arrogance as “a recipe for disaster” and emphasising the need for humility and introspection. He noted that the lesson from the verse is that “arrogance is the recipe for disaster,” adding that “consciousness, humility and introspection are the way.”
Working Committee Focus
In Srinagar, however, the party was discussing the constituency that Aga had retained for the party till last month, when it was lost to the PDP. Considered a bastion of the party, the party lost Budgam. PDP’s Aga Muntazir Mehdi, who was also supported by Peoples Conference’s Imran Reza Ansari and PDF’s Hakim Muhammad Yasin, defeated NC’s Aga Syed Mehmood by a margin of 4,478 votes.
Interestingly, Ruhullah, who is from Budgam, had openly declined to campaign for the party’s candidate, citing unfulfilled promises by the NC-led government, despite its ruling position in the UT. And during the PDP candidate’s win and campaigning, Ruhullah was the rallying slogan. Insiders in the party said that though the Aga episode was discussed by many of the participants, the eventual outcome was beyond Budgam.
The two-day meeting concluded with the passage of a slew of resolutions, reaffirming “unwavering commitment” to the restoration of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and demanding immediate restoration of statehood.
“The Working Committee unanimously reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status. The Committee reiterated that this issue is central to the aspirations and dignity of the people and must be addressed without further delay,” the first of the seven resolutions read.
The working committee also passed a resolution condemning the Delhi terror attack in which at least 15 people died, and scores were injured on November 10.
“The Working Committee expressed serious concern and unequivocally condemned the terror attack in Delhi. It extended heartfelt condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. In a civilised society, violence has no place, and such heinous acts must be dealt with firmly and decisively,” the party said.
It also expressed concern over the accidental blast on November 14 inside Nowgam police station, which claimed at least nine lives. “The Committee stated that the incident must be investigated at the highest level and responsibility fixed for any deviation from standard operating procedure,” the NC added.
The party also called for the protection and safety of people of Jammu and Kashmir across India and expressed serious concern over the reports of harassment faced by students, traders and residents in the aftermath of recent events. “Not every Kashmiri is a terrorist or a supporter of terror,” it said.
The party reaffirmed its commitment to fulfilling its manifesto promises, asserting that the pledges made to the people would be honoured in full.
In its final resolution, the Working Committee unanimously extended full support to the government led by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and urged it to continue working to uphold the aspirations and dignity of the people.
Previous Cracks
However, it is not now that the cracks have started to appear. Last year as well, Aga had participated in an agitation outside Omar Abdullah’s residence regarding the party’s stand on reservation.
Last month, he said the issue of reservation in Jammu and Kashmir is not just a local concern but a major political matter and hinted that he, along with students, may again take to the streets to press for a resolution.
Aga said that the government had promised to resolve the reservation issue within six months after setting up a committee, but there has been no visible progress. “The committee was supposed to submit its report within six months. Later, it was said that the report had been sent to the law department, but it has not been made public yet,” he said.
He added that he had spoken to students affected by the issue and assured them of support if they chose to protest again.
The Last Walkout
Aga has been making the Working Committee meeting of his party interesting. Interestingly, in a previous working committee meeting held in May, Aga had walked out after a disagreement with Omar Abdullah. This time, he made his own front-page news while not being invited to the meeting.
Aga is understood to have accused the party of losing ideological clarity and aligning too closely with the narrative emanating from New Delhi. “He expressed his disappointment in the way things have been progressing and publicly confronted the core working committee,” one insider was quoted by the news portal. “Ultimately, he chose to walk out of the meeting as a mark of protest.”
Attendees told reporters that in the May meeting, Aga challenged the party leadership’s approach to issues such as Article 370 and the restoration of statehood, arguing that the NC had failed to act decisively on its manifesto promises.
The party leaders had tried their best to avoid a walkout walk to the newspaper front pages. Tanvir Sadiq had termed the reports “completely fabricated and baseless.” He told the media, “Aga Sahab attended the recent working committee meeting, and I was present. He did not walk out; he sought permission to leave due to a family emergency following the death of a relative.”
This time, however, there was no requirement to play with the situation. It was smooth. The party did not invite him, and the MP admitted it publicly. Now everybody is interested in the follow-up.
Will the party ask him to quit, or will he quit on his own? Will he give up the Lok Sabha berth that he had won on the JKNC mandate and go to the people for the mandate as an independent? These are the questions being asked by his party colleagues and his voters. Personally, he has said he will not float a party. He has asserted that he has no personal ambitions but has serious ideological issues. Will the party address them, or were part of the Working Committee resolutions an attempt towards that end?
