SRINAGAR: In a candid public address, Srinagar’s Member of Parliament, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, voiced his growing estrangement from his own party, the National Conference. According to Mehdi, all meaningful communication between him and the party’s top leadership has ceased—particularly following his participation in a student-led gathering outside the Chief Minister’s official residence last year. The protest targeted a deeply contested reservation framework.
“Before the Assembly elections, my inputs had value. Even when the leadership disagreed with my approach, they respected the essence of my arguments. But ever since I stood with students protesting against the quota changes, the dialogue from their side has gone completely silent,” Mehdi remarked during an interactive session on X.
He explained that while he had been consistently consulted during the Lok Sabha campaign and up until the lead-up to the state elections, everything changed afterward. “There has been complete disengagement since the electoral dust settled,” he said.
Mehdi, who still holds a seat in Parliament under the NC banner, revealed that his political voice now goes unheard within party circles. “No one is interested in what I think anymore,” he said with resignation.
Despite the growing isolation, Mehdi stopped short of publicly challenging the party, citing the complex pressures they face. “I understand they need to keep political equations balanced with the Centre. I didn’t want to disrupt that. I just hope no one blames me for stalling statehood,” he noted.
The root of the fallout, according to him, lies in his presence at a December 23 student demonstration. “I didn’t orchestrate any protest. It was a spontaneous outcry by students who felt betrayed by the reservation overhaul. I simply stood by them. If that act gave their voice strength, I believe I did the right thing,” Mehdi said. “If my solidarity with those youth made me unwelcome in my own party, I’ve made peace with it.”
He further reflected on the emotional toll of this political distancing. “I have a responsibility to speak up for my people, both in and out of Parliament. But this silence from within hurts. It’s eating me alive,” he admitted.
Ruhullah underlined that his convictions stem not from personal ambition, but from moral duty. “I speak from my heart, not to climb any ladder. My conscience is clear, and I answer only to the Almighty,” he said.
The student protest he joined was in response to a revised reservation formula that reportedly slashes the open merit seats to roughly 30%, assigning the remainder to various reserved categories. This has sparked widespread concern among general category aspirants. In response, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had announced that a Cabinet sub-panel would revisit the decision and hold consultations with relevant stakeholders.
In a separate development, the Anti-Corruption Bureau on Saturday filed a chargesheet implicating 22 individuals—among them Ruhullah and six members of his extended family—in a case involving alleged manipulation of land revenue records. Dismissing the charges as unfounded, Ruhullah maintained his innocence.
Asked whether anyone from his party reached out to him following the legal development, he responded with disappointment. “No one from the National Conference has spoken to me. Had they made the effort, they would have understood the truth behind these allegations,” he concluded, subtly criticizing the growing communication vacuum within his party.
