SRINAGAR: Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has said that his party, the National Conference, has virtually cut off communication with him ever since he stood by protesting students during a demonstration against the controversial reservation policy last year. Speaking during a live session on X Spaces, Ruhullah has said that while his opinions were once taken seriously within the party, the dynamic changed dramatically after the December 23, protest outside the Chief Minister’s residence.
“Until the Assembly elections, my opinions mattered. Even if the party disagreed with my methods, it still supported my ideas. But after the reservation protests, the party stopped engaging with me,” said Ruhullah.
According to him, the change began immediately after the elections. “From the time they persuaded me to fight the Lok Sabha elections to the period just before the Assembly polls, I was consulted. But soon after, my views stopped being acknowledged,” he said. Ruhullah noted that the party’s leadership no longer sought his inputs, despite his position as a sitting MP representing Srinagar. “There are no takers for my political thinking anymore,” he said.
The National Conference leader clarified that he had refrained from confronting the party openly out of a sense of responsibility. “I know they have to manage equations with the central government for governance. That’s why I didn’t impose my stance on them. At least no one can say that I cost them statehood,” he added.
He maintained that his support for the student protest was a matter of conscience. “I didn’t organise any protest. It was a spontaneous gathering of students who felt betrayed. I just stood with them. If my presence helped raise their voice, I consider it my duty fulfilled,” Ruhullah said. “Call it a protest or anything else, it doesn’t matter. If standing with students made me an enemy in the party, I’m okay with that.”
Agha expressed anguish over the ongoing disconnect with his party. “I have a moral duty to speak for my people both within and outside the party. But this disconnect is eating me up from the inside,” he said, adding that his politics was not driven by ambition. “What I say comes from my conscience, not from any political design. I don’t need to prove it to anyone. God is my judge.”
The protest in question was triggered by a new reservation policy which, according to students, has reduced the open merit quota to around 30 per cent, with the remaining seats reserved for various categories. Following public criticism, the Chief Minister, Omar Abdullah, had assured that a Cabinet subcommittee would re-examine the policy and hold consultations with stakeholders. (With JKNS inputs)
