Srinagar, Aug 22 (KNO): National Conference (NC) Member Parliament (MP) Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday questioned his party leadership over its approach towards Jammu and Kashmir's constitutional rights, saying the party had given him a mandate to fight for those rights but was now asking him to resign for continuing the same fight. He challenged the leadership to issue him a show-cause notice if he had violated its ideology or stand.
Addressing reporters here, Ruhullah, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), said the party leadership should follow a formal process if it believed he had violated the party's ideology. "They are failing to face accountability. I ask them, why are we not able to fight, why are we not able to follow the principles we have promised people? I get the answer from them: resign," he said.
"If they want me to resign, at least they should issue a show-cause notice. They should ask me, 'You have violated the ideology of the party in various places... you have violated the stand of the party'," Ruhullah said, adding that he is ready to answer any such notice.
The Srinagar MP questioned the party's present political approach, alleging that it had diluted the larger fight for constitutional rights. "We have taken votes from the people. They are missing there. They have weakened the fight themselves. They have diluted it," he said. "Instead of 370, instead of constitutional rights and guarantees, they have come to statehood and business rules," he said.
Mehdi said his position was based on the mandate received from the people and not on any personal political interest. "If I wanted to deceive people, I would have changed my language. I am fighting to implement that mandate," he said, adding that he had received a people's mandate in addition to the party ticket.
Ruhullah said he had pursued the issue of constitutional guarantees both inside and outside Parliament, including through political advocacy and engagement with opposition parties. "For that, I have strived in Parliament, outside Parliament, on the streets, in Constitution Club, Jantar Mantar. I have tried lobbying with other political parties," he said.
The Member Parliament said restoration of statehood alone could not resolve the Kashmir issue and argued that constitutional guarantees and protections also needed to be restored. "The status of Kashmir has to be restored according to the wishes and will of the people of J&K, in which the constitutional guarantees and protections have to be restored," he said.
Turning to the 6.83 per cent electricity tariff hike, Ruhullah questioned the Omar Abdullah-led government over the increase, recalling the NC's 2024 Assembly election promise of providing 200 units of free electricity. "I will prove it. During the election, we promised people of 200 units of free electricity," he said.
Mehdi said nearly two years had passed since the elections and questioned the failure to provide the promised free power. "The same chief minister said that he will throw the metres in the river. He couldn't throw them in the river," he said. "Instead of giving 200 units for free, as you yourself said, how many per cent did you increase? Six per cent? Six per cent increase, nearly seven per cent increase. Now I will ask the same question."
The MP said his political fight extended beyond his differences with the NC leadership and included reservation, constitutional rights and what he described as the absence of political character in Jammu and Kashmir. "The fight for the reservation is not over yet. I am also fighting for the reservation," he said. "The biggest fight is for the constitutional rights which were snatched from us. I feel that the biggest fight is for the political character which is missing. There is no character in our politics."
Ruhullah criticised what he described as the erosion of political principles and values, alleging that parties make promises before elections and subsequently dilute them after coming to power. "They think that they will tell people one principle and one promise before the election. After the election, they will sell that principle and will violate the promises and will destroy the values. It is because character is missing in politics. The values are missing in politics," he said.
Mehdi said he wanted a new generation to enter politics with conviction, principles and values. "I want this fight to be fought by the new generation who have the conviction to take this system in their hands and throw it out of the system. I want to bring value, character and principles which we have lost," he added.
The Member Parliament questioned the accountability and punishment in the Kishtwar rape case, calling the incident alarming and stressing the need for deterrence. "This is a serious matter," he said, questioning the application of capital punishment and whether it is being applied consistently irrespective of the identity or religion of those involved—(KNO)