Will look for like-minded party, people after Nov 3: Ruhullah

Srinagar, Oct 21: Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has said he will look for people who share his political principles and commitment to Jammu and Kashmir’s rights after his planned departure from the National Conference on November 3, keeping open the possibility of an alternative political platform.
In an exclusive interview with a news agency, Ruhullah said he would return to the people after November 3 and explore whether individuals committed to the same political objectives could come together to carry forward the struggle for Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.
Asked whether he would form a new party after leaving the National Conference, Ruhullah said the decision scheduled for November 3 would come first.
“After that, we will see. We will go to the people as we did before,” he said.
He said he would look for people with principles and character who were prepared to take responsibility for Kashmir and fight for its rights.
Ruhullah said his search would be for people who believed in the same political objectives rather than those seeking positions in government.
He said discussions about the future political course were continuing, but did not confirm whether he would establish a new party, join an existing organisation or pursue another political arrangement.
The Srinagar MP said the people he wanted to work with were not necessarily MLAs, ministers or established political figures.
He referred to people working in fields, studying in educational institutions, practising medicine, running businesses or even being in jail as examples of those who could become part of a political struggle based on principles.
Ruhullah said his political objective remained challenging the decisions taken on Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019.
He said he had expected the National Conference to pursue that objective through the elected Assembly, but the party’s approach to the restoration of constitutional rights had changed after it came to power.
Referring to the Assembly resolution on special status and the subsequent emphasis on statehood, Ruhullah questioned whether the National Conference was strengthening its original demand or weakening it.
He said the Chief Minister had himself clarified that the resolution was intended to seek statehood.
According to Ruhullah, the clarification removed any confusion about whether the government was seeking restoration of the constitutional position that existed before August 5, 2019.
He questioned why another resolution was needed when the party had already passed one concerning Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional rights.
“If they believe in the earlier resolution, why do they want to dilute the same resolution by bringing a second resolution?” he asked.
Ruhullah said the National Conference had sought votes during the Assembly elections on the promise of challenging the decisions of 2019.
He recalled that the party had warned voters that if the BJP or its allies secured a majority, they would bring a statehood resolution and thereby weaken the demand for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s earlier constitutional position.
He said the National Conference was now following the same course it had warned people against during the election campaign.
Ruhullah also referred to the BJP’s protests against the earlier Assembly resolution, saying those protests did not change the fact that the Chief Minister subsequently described its purpose as seeking statehood.
He said passing a resolution in the Assembly was different from pursuing the political objective for which people had voted.
The MP questioned the public significance of the resolution, saying it had not generated sustained discussion or confidence among people.
“Does anyone remember this resolution?” he asked, saying people had treated it as a political exercise that failed to advance the promised demand.
Ruhullah said even National Conference workers at the grassroots level lacked clarity about the government’s position.
He questioned why party workers and representatives were not raising questions about the difference between the promises made during elections and the resolutions brought after forming the government.
He said political discussions within the party had become centred on constituency development funds, contracts, transfers, government positions and personal benefits rather than constitutional rights and the party’s stated principles.
Referring to National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, Ruhullah was asked whether the party president’s position reflected pressure from within the organisation.
He responded that it was not pressure from the party but pressure associated with the seat of power.
Ruhullah questioned how many people within the National Conference were prepared to speak about the party’s ideology and the rights of Jammu and Kashmir rather than their own political interests.
On speculation that 28 MLAs were in contact with him amid uncertainty over cabinet expansion, Ruhullah rejected suggestions that he was attempting to split the National Conference or bring down the Omar Abdullah government.
“I do not want to bring down this government, nor do I want to break it,” he said.
He said he was not contacting legislators to exploit dissatisfaction over ministerial positions.
Ruhullah said if an MLA independently questioned the party leadership on moral or ideological grounds, that was different from joining a political grouping because of dissatisfaction over a cabinet berth.
He said he had no interest in bringing together legislators who were unhappy because they had not been made ministers.
“I do not want such cheap politics,” he said, asking that his name not be associated with attempts to destabilise the government.
Ruhullah said he wanted elected representatives to stand by the promises made to the people and question compromises on political principles.
He said his effort was to encourage people to listen to their conscience rather than calculate personal political gains.
The MP also questioned the delay in expanding the Jammu and Kashmir Council of Ministers, saying the government had completed two years in office without distributing additional ministerial responsibilities.
He said Chief Minister Omar Abdullah continued to hold several portfolios while other elected representatives remained without ministerial responsibilities.
Ruhullah linked the delay to the possibility of dissatisfaction among legislators who might be excluded from the cabinet.
He said the Chief Minister feared that those denied ministerial positions could become unhappy and that the BJP or other political forces might take advantage of the situation.
He questioned why cabinet expansion had been delayed if the government was confident about its support among legislators.
Asked whether the government was waiting for his November 3 decision before proceeding with the expansion, Ruhullah said the Chief Minister should not be concerned about him.
He said his political plans had nothing to do with legislators seeking ministerial positions.
“Do not be afraid of my decision. Be satisfied from my side,” he said, asking the government to proceed with cabinet expansion.
He said he would neither approach MLAs unhappy over cabinet positions nor use their dissatisfaction to pursue his future political plans.
Explaining why he had chosen November 3, Ruhullah said the date coincided with the martyrdom anniversary of his father.
He said his father’s death had changed the direction of his life and placed responsibilities upon him that continued to influence his political decisions.
Ruhullah said he was approaching another turning point after more than two decades and considered the anniversary an appropriate date for making an important decision about his political future.
He also cited parliamentary responsibilities, particularly work related to the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), as a reason for taking time before the decision.
Ruhullah said he wanted to ensure that development funds and other parliamentary responsibilities were addressed before taking the next step.
He had also planned consultations and conferences, but political developments and protests in different parts of the country had affected those plans.
Asked whether a new political formation could face the same difficulties as the party established by former chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad after leaving the Congress, Ruhullah said his political objectives were different.
He accused Azad of pursuing politics that accepted the decisions of August 2019 rather than challenging them.
Ruhullah said Azad had presented the constitutional changes as irreversible and asked people to accept the existing political arrangement.
He argued that his own political course was based on challenging those decisions.
The Srinagar MP said he had remained with the National Conference because he believed the party would use its electoral mandate to challenge the BJP’s decisions concerning Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the party had instead shifted towards seeking statehood, which, in his view, weakened the demand for restoration of constitutional rights.
Ruhullah contrasted his position with that of politicians seeking power through new political organisations.
He said his intention was to move away from the pursuit of political office and work towards challenging the decisions of 2019 without the constraints he associated with the National Conference’s present approach.
The MP said his future political course would depend on identifying people prepared to work for the same objectives.
He did not name any existing political party with which he was holding discussions or announce a new organisation.
Ruhullah said his November 3 decision would be followed by consultations to determine how the political struggle could be carried forward.
He reiterated that he had no plans to topple the elected government, organise disgruntled legislators or pursue ministerial positions.
His disagreement with the National Conference, he said, was over the party’s political direction and its failure to pursue the commitments on which it had sought public support.
The National Conference leadership’s response to Ruhullah’s remarks was not immediately available. (KNS)