Ruhullah sets timeline for possible resignation, puts ball in NC leadership’s court

‎Srinagar, Aug 17: Srinagar Lok Sabha member Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Monday said he has “made up his mind” to resign from Parliament in the coming months, but indicated that an intervention by National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah could lead him to reconsider the decision if the party accepts a set of political proposals.
‎In an exclusive conversation with a news agency, Ruhullah said he was not looking at a timeline of a year but wanted “a few months” to take his campaign on the constitutional and political status of Jammu and Kashmir to what he called a “certain level” before stepping down.
“I need a few months. I am not even talking about a year. I want to bring this fight to a certain level, and then resign,” he added.
Ruhullah, however, made a distinction between his decision to resign and his willingness to reconsider it. He said the resignation itself was not conditional, but he would rethink the decision if Dr Farooq Abdullah wanted the issue resolved and the proposed steps were taken.
Referring to Dr Farooq, Ruhullah said his relationship with the NC president was not merely political and that he had always regarded him as a fatherly figure.
He said Dr Farooq had treated him with respect and that his remarks about Ruhullah being like a son were known to him personally.
“This is not a matter of our personal relations,” Ruhullah said, adding that the larger issue concerned the people of Jammu and Kashmir.
‎‎He said if Dr Farooq wanted the matter to be resolved, he had three suggestions that could lead him to reconsider his resignation.
‎Ruhullah said his first proposal was that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah should resign from the post and that he himself would then resign as MP, allowing Omar to return to Parliament and lead the political fight for restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional protections.
“The current CM should resign from the post. I resign from the Member of Parliament,” he said.
‎‎Ruhullah said he did not want to return to Parliament himself and suggested that Omar Abdullah contest a Lok Sabha election and take up the issues he had been raising in the national political arena.
“I do not want to become the Member Parliament again. The CM should come, resign, become the Member Parliament. He should go to Parliament and fight the same fight that I am fighting,” he said.
‎‎He also said that Omar Abdullah could have a greater impact in Parliament because of his political position and the strength of the National Conference.
‎Ruhullah said the campaign should go beyond the demand for restoration of statehood and include what he described as the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional guarantees, protections and dignity.
“Along with the statehood, the constitutional guarantees, dignity should be restored,” he said.
‎‎Ruhullah said his second proposal was that Omar Abdullah should nominate another person from among the party’s MLAs or ministers to head the government, allowing the Chief Minister to concentrate on the political campaign from Parliament.
‎‎Ruhullah said the government could then focus on governance and implementation of the National Conference manifesto while Omar Abdullah pursued the constitutional and political issues at the national level.
‎Ruhullah said his third proposal was for the National Conference to turn the issue into a broader political movement, with the party standing behind Omar Abdullah’s parliamentary campaign.
‎‎Ruhullah said he was willing to take responsibility for organising such a movement within the party.
‎He also called for those whom he blamed for moving the party away from its political movement and ideological agenda to be removed from party affairs.
“If these two-three suggestions work, I am ready to rethink my resignation the next day,” Ruhullah said.
‎‎He said that if there was no movement on his proposals, he would proceed with the decision he had already made.
‎Ruhullah also said his decision was not the result of any individual forcing him out.
“There is no one to force me. I will do what I have to do on the basis of morals and conviction,” he said.
‎‎He also said that developments within the party had created an atmosphere in which his continuation had become increasingly difficult.
‎He said remarks questioning why he had not resigned had come from different party functionaries, including MLAs, an MP, the additional general secretary and, at times, the Chief Minister.
‎Ruhullah also said that he had been kept away from the working committee, party functioning and decision-making.
‎”They themselves call me from one MLA, some day from another MLA, some day from MP, some day from the Additional General Secretary, some day the Chief Minister himself talks badly to me,” he said.
‎‎Ruhullah said that if the party believed he had violated its ideology, agenda, manifesto or discipline, it should follow a formal process instead of publicly asking him to resign.
‎‎He challenged the leadership to issue him a show-cause notice and spell out the alleged violations.
‎”I wish they had the dignity to issue a show-cause notice,” he said.
‎”If they had the dignity, they would have been conscious, and they would have talked about party discipline, they would have issued a show-cause notice,” he added.
‎Ruhullah said he would respond to such a notice and allow the party to take a decision thereafter.
“Tell me, where have I violated? At least take the answer to that show-cause notice from me,” he said.
‎The Srinagar MP acknowledged that resigning would come at the cost of the parliamentary platform through which he has been pursuing the issue nationally.
‎He said Parliament had allowed him to raise the constitutional question, engage with political parties and undertake lobbying and opinion-building.
“Whatever I could do in Parliament, I did it. I did the opinion generation, I spoke about 370,” he said.
He also referred to conferences and political outreach undertaken in Delhi and said he wanted to do more work on the issue before giving up his parliamentary position.
“I won’t have the Parliament. The lobbying that I can do through the Parliament, the outreach that I can do, I won’t have that. That is obvious,” he said.
‎‎He acknowledged that losing that platform would be a setback but said he was prepared to take the decision on the basis of his convictions.
“That will be a loss,” he added. (KNS)