National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has not ruled out accepting party president Farooq Abdullah’s challenge to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate from the people. Speaking to reporters in Tangmarg, Ruhullah said he respected the veteran leader and would respond to his request in the coming days.
Ruhullah said he would not take Abdullah’s request lightly, stressing that it would not be appropriate for him to simply turn down a request from the senior National Conference leader. He indicated that he would give his response after considering the matter.
Farooq Abdullah had earlier challenged Ruhullah to resign from Parliament and return to the electorate if he believed his 2024 Lok Sabha victory was primarily due to his personal popularity rather than the support of the National Conference organisation. Abdullah had said that a fresh election would show whether voters continued to support Ruhullah.
The disagreement between the two leaders comes amid differences over several political issues, including the approach towards Article 370. Abdullah had said that Ruhullah was free to raise the issue in Parliament but criticised what he described as the wrong political path being followed.
On the issue of reopening cases related to the killings of Kashmiri Pandits, Ruhullah said the community deserves justice. However, he cautioned that the pursuit of justice should not turn into an instrument of revenge.
