SRINAGAR: Srinagar Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday said he would respond within a few days to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah’s call for him to resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate, while reaffirming his respect for the veteran leader.
Asked about Abdullah’s demand, Ruhullah stopped short of confirming whether he would resign but indicated that he was considering the request seriously.
“It is not possible that Doctor Sahib asks me for something and I don’t give it to him. It is not possible that I send him back empty-handed,” Ruhullah told reporters.
He added that Abdullah had made the request at an advanced age and said he did not want to refuse him without due consideration.
“I will give an answer in a few days,” Ruhullah said.
His remarks came a day after Abdullah challenged the Srinagar MP to resign and return to the electorate if he believed his 2024 Lok Sabha victory was based primarily on his personal political standing.
“If you think people voted for you, resign and go back to them. We will see how many votes you get,” Abdullah had said.
The exchange comes amid growing public differences between Ruhullah and the National Conference leadership over the party’s political approach, particularly on the restoration of Article 370, statehood and Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.
Abdullah had said Ruhullah was free to raise the Article 370 issue in Parliament but questioned his approach to the matter. He also stressed the importance of the party organisation and its workers in elections, maintaining that candidates contesting on the National Conference ticket receive the backing of the organisation.
