NC hits back at Ruhullah, questions timing of resignation: ‘You stayed minister in 2010, fought 2014 polls’
The party described Ruhullah’s resignation as “too late”, saying he should have stepped down a year earlier when he allegedly joined forces opposed to the NC’s electoral mandate.
Published: Nov 03, 2026, 09:00 PM IST
| Updated: Nov 03, 2026, 09:07 PM IST
The party described Ruhullah’s resignation as “too late”, saying he should have stepped down a year earlier when he allegedly joined forces opposed to the NC’s electoral mandate.
The National Conference (NC) has launched a sharp attack on Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, accusing him of targeting the party leadership and alleging that the Abdullahs had betrayed the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
In a strongly worded statement, the party described Ruhullah’s recent speech as “a manifestation of his mental and moral bankruptcy, and an example of his self-obsession”. It said that while he invoked the Holy Quran and its message of dignity and respect for human beings, his speech was “full of derogatory, abusive and unparliamentary language against NC leadership”.
“The language used by him only reflects who he is,” the party said.
NC questions Ruhullah’s stand on 2010
The NC said Ruhullah had chosen to raise the issues of special status and reservation as grounds for resigning from the party only after being asked to do so by the party president.
“He only remembered to resign when he was told to by the party president. The same way he only remembered 2010 today when it suited him,” the statement said.
The party pointed out that Ruhullah had remained a minister in 2010 until he was removed during a general reshuffle. It also said he had contested the 2014 Assembly elections on an NC ticket without raising the issue at the time.
“He conveniently forgot all about it until 2026, 16 years later,” the party said.
Questions over special status and Parliament
The NC questioned Ruhullah’s record in Parliament on the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and statehood.
The party asked whether he had been the first to welcome the resolution passed by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on November 6, demanding the restoration of special status, and whether he had described it as a promise fulfilled.
It also asked what efforts he had made in Parliament to mobilise support for the restoration of special status, including whether he had attempted to gather signatures from more than 100 MPs across parties for an impeachment motion against Allahabad High Court judge Shekhar Kumar Yadav.
“Can he tell us if he ever made such an effort to gather signatures of MPs for the restoration of special status or statehood?” the statement asked.
The party further questioned whether Ruhullah had attempted to move a resolution or bill in Parliament on the issue.
According to the NC, Ruhullah had been elected to Parliament to raise concerns over the dispossession of people and the alleged undermining of the elected government by the Centre and the Lieutenant Governor.
The party asked whether he had spoken about departments that, despite being technically under the elected government in the Union Territory, were allegedly being run by the Lieutenant Governor “through remote control”.
NC defends its stand on reservation
The party also addressed the reservation controversy, saying Ruhullah had begun opposing the elected government over job reservations, which it described as a “grave injustice” to the open merit category.
The NC said the issue had arisen during the Lieutenant Governor’s rule and that it had included changes to the reservation system in its election manifesto.
It accused Ruhullah and those supporting him of blaming the party for raising the issue rather than holding the Lieutenant Governor and the Centre accountable.
The statement said the NC government had formed a Cabinet sub-committee in line with its election promise and had made what it described as the first significant changes to the reservation system. However, it alleged that the file had been stalled by the authorities.
The party asked whether Ruhullah had raised the matter in Parliament or questioned the Centre over the delay in implementing the Cabinet decision.
It also asked whether he had organised any protest against the Lieutenant Governor before the Assembly elections, when he was elected MP around six months before the formation of the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NC further questioned whether he had raised concerns over alleged recruitment and examination frauds and the removal of job aspirants from one region from the system.
‘Statehood restoration will not come at the expense of special status’
Reiterating its political position, the NC said the elected government was aware of its limitations under the prevailing arrangement but had carefully chosen its roadmap on issues linked to Jammu and Kashmir’s identity and existence.
“Our thrust on restoration of statehood is not and will never be at the expense of the special status,” the statement said.
It added that if this had been the case, the restoration of special status would not have been the first item of business for the government, and the Chief Minister would not have reiterated the demand on August 15.
The party said the protection of its identity and constitutional rights remained central to its political ideology, adding that abandoning these principles would mean abandoning the party’s politics over more than 90 years.
“Reclaiming and repossessing what was taken away from us needs a deft politics, not theatrics,” the statement said, adding that theatrics might attract temporary attention and social media likes but would not deliver results for the people.
NC calls Ruhullah’s resignation ‘too late’
The party described Ruhullah’s resignation as “too late”, saying he should have stepped down a year earlier when he allegedly joined forces opposed to the NC’s electoral mandate.
It also accused him of contributing to the party’s defeat in the Budgam Assembly by-election while remaining a member of the NC.
“Where was his conscience then? Backstabbing the same party he owed his political existence,” the statement said.
The NC said Ruhullah had begun his political career with the party, served as an MLA for three terms, held ministerial office and was elected to Parliament on its ticket.
The statement concluded by accusing him of displaying “narcissistic conduct” and finding fault with the party despite his long association with it.
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