Rebel NC MLAs meet Farooq and Omar Abdullah: Demand Cabinet overhaul, advisor's ouster, and party reforms

A group of 15 to 18 disgruntled Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (NC) legislators is meeting party president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar right now to press a sharp set of demands over internal party functioning and the recent cabinet expansion. The closed-door session at Farooq Abdullah’s residence is the first direct face-to-face engagement between the dissident group and the top leadership since the crisis erupted.

The discontent stems from the October 27 cabinet expansion that inducted four new ministers and left several senior and mid-level NC MLAs feeling sidelined and unconsulted.

The legislators have held multiple closed-door huddles, including sessions at the residences of Lolab MLA Qaiser Jamsheed Lone, Gurez MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi, and Pampore MLA Justice (Retd.). Hasnain Masoodi to firm up a united stand. They insist they do not seek to fracture the party but demand reforms and accountability.

Prominent faces in the rebel group include Justice (Retd.) Hasnain Masoodi (Pampore): Nazir Ahmad Khan Gurezi (Gurez): Mubarak Gul(Eidgah): Six-time MLA and former Assembly Speaker•  Abdul Majid Larmi(Anantnag West): Qaiser Jamsheed Lone (Lolab): Other legislators named in the meetings include Ghulam Mohiuddin Mir (Rajpora), Hilal Akbar Lone (Sonawari), Bashir Ahmad Veeri (Bijbehara), Pirzada Farooq Ahmad Shah (Tangmarg), Sajad Shafi (Uri), Aijaz Ahmad Jan (Poonch Haveli), Javid Iqbal Choudhary (Budhal), Arjun Singh Raju (Ramban), Khursheed Ahmad (Gulabgarh), Saifuddin Bhat (Khan Sahib), and independent MLA Muzaffar Iqbal Khan (Thanamandi).

The group’s core demands, submitted via memorandum, are: Immediate removal of Chief Minister’s advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, whom they blame for creating a growing disconnect between the leadership, elected representatives, and the government.

Replacement of non-performing ministers and a fresh cabinet review conducted through broader consultations.

Divesting Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary of the PWD (Roads & Buildings) portfolio amid allegations of misconduct.

Greater internal party democracy, including formation of a consultative advisory group for MLAs, a disciplinary committee, and regular institutional mechanisms for consultation.

A clear, time-bound roadmap for implementing the party’s election manifesto.

Intensified push for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood and special status.

Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has made clear he will engage only with party MLAs and has declined meetings with independent rebel legislators. Party functionaries have sought to play down the unrest as routine internal democracy rather than rebellion, but the successive closed-door meetings and the formal presentation of demands underway right now place direct pressure on the top leadership.

It’s to be seen now how Farooq Abdullah responds in this meeting will shape the immediate stability of the government and the internal cohesion of the National Conference. As most of the party rebels are angry with chief minster Omar Abdullah, the recent resignation of MP Ruhullah had also depended on the crises, and he too had direct attack to Omar instead of party or the veteran Farooq Abdullah. Now all eyes are on Senior Abdullah as he always had carried out the part form crises in the last 50 years how he settles down the first time wide internal crises of the party.

ALSO READ | Pre-dawn CIK raids hit six Kashmir locations in hunt for Pakistan-backed online terror recruitment network