Srinagar, Aug 19: Srinagar Lok Sabha member and senior National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah Mehdi has accused his own party of “deviating” from its stated position on Jammu and Kashmir and alleged that its recent protest in New Delhi demanding restoration of statehood was an attempt to dilute the larger issue of restoration of Article 370 and constitutional guarantees.
In an interview with KNS, Ruhullah said political parties in Jammu and Kashmir should be judged by their manifestos, ideology and stated policies rather than by individual statements.
“There is no need to listen to me or anyone else. People can judge themselves. Look at the manifesto, ideology and policy,” he said.
Ruhullah said his recent seminar in Delhi on the restoration of Article 370 and constitutional rights had received support from several opposition parties, including the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, RJD and CPI(M), besides independent MPs.
He described the event as a significant development, saying it was possibly the first time that people from Jammu and Kashmir had gone to Delhi to speak directly about the region’s constitutional status and rights.
“People of Jammu and Kashmir went to Delhi and talked about Jammu and Kashmir, its constitutional rights, status and situation. This has never happened before,” he said.
Ruhullah said the venue, which had a capacity of around 250 people, saw more attendees than its capacity, with people from Jammu, Kashmir, Rajouri and Punjab participating.
According to him, MPs from several political parties spoke against the abrogation of Article 370 and supported restoration of constitutional protections for Jammu and Kashmir.
He said the Congress, DMK, Samajwadi Party, RJD and CPI(M) representatives, among others, supported the demand, with some arguing that restoration of statehood alone would not address the issue.
“Statehood is not the solution to the problem. The status of Jammu and Kashmir should be restored as per the wishes of the people and as per the constitutional guarantees and protections,” he quoted the participating leaders as saying.
Ruhullah said the response demonstrated that there was political space in New Delhi to discuss Article 370 and constitutional protections.
“I proved that it can be talked about in Delhi. People are ready to listen to it. They are also ready to speak for you and support you on constitutional rights and protections,” he said, calling for the creation of a “common vocabulary” around the issue.
The Srinagar MP also criticised National Conference leaders and members who attended the party’s Jantar Mantar protest but later claimed they had gone there under the impression that it was his seminar.
“They are making fun of themselves. It is an insult for the members who went there,” he said.
Ruhullah said he had invited Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, National Conference MPs and colleagues, as well as BJP MPs from Jammu, to his Delhi programme.
He alleged that the Chief Minister and other party members did not respond to his invitation.
“I wrote that this is the collective work of all of us. This is our responsibility. We should do this work,” he said.
Ruhullah alleged that after receiving his letter about the August 5 programme, the National Conference decided to hold its own protest in Parliament demanding statehood.
He claimed there had been no earlier announcement of such a programme and alleged that the move was intended to dilute the focus of his event on Article 370 and constitutional rights.
He said the party’s position should be assessed against its own manifestos and historical political position.
“What did the National Conference say before the election? I am working on that manifesto. The party is not doing it. On the contrary, it is deviating,” Ruhullah said.
He argued that restoration of Article 370 and constitutional guarantees necessarily encompassed the issue of statehood.
“When we talk about Article 370 or restoration of constitutional guarantees, where is statehood outside that? That is included. It is automatically included,” he said.
Ruhullah alleged that limiting the political demand to statehood would amount to accepting a narrower agenda than what the party had promised voters.
“You are becoming a beggar on the table yourself. You are leaving your dignity on the table,” he said.
The NC leader also sharply criticised the party’s Jantar Mantar protest, questioning its size and political seriousness.
“For the sake of argument, I believe for two minutes that they went to ask for statehood. They should not have gone. But if they claim they went to do the right thing, where was their cadre?” he asked.
Ruhullah said the National Conference, which he described as the biggest cadre-based party in Jammu and Kashmir, should have been able to mobilise a much larger number of supporters for an issue as important as statehood.
He contrasted the protest with student-led demonstrations, saying young protesters had demonstrated greater persistence and mobilisation in pursuing their demands.
“Seriousness, dedication and conviction means you sit there until you convince them,” he said.
Ruhullah also criticised what he described as the party’s focus on optics, referring to the participation of senior leaders in an auto-rickshaw during their Delhi visit.
“Someone did me a favour. For the first time in their life, they got into an auto. That optics came out,” he said sarcastically.
He alleged that the statehood protest was organised to ease political pressure on the party over the question of restoration of Article 370.
“There was immense pressure in Kashmir — why are you not fighting for your rights? To save their credibility, by giving the name of statehood, they went there to create an optics so that the pressure gets over,” he alleged.
Ruhullah said the lack of mobilisation at the Jantar Mantar protest was particularly significant because the National Conference currently heads the elected government in Jammu and Kashmir and has a chief minister, ministers and legislators.
He contrasted the turnout with party gatherings where, he alleged, thousands of people could be mobilised for political or organisational purposes.
“Where was their cadre for this work? Why were there only 100-150 people there?” he asked.
Ruhullah said he himself had been able to mobilise significantly more people for a programme marking the anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370.
He also rejected suggestions that raising the issue of Article 370 amounted to indiscipline within the National Conference.
He said the party’s ideology, manifesto and political resolutions should be the benchmark for determining whether a leader was acting within party discipline.
“Whoever is working on that manifesto and ideology is working in the hands of the party. Whoever is deviating from it, diluting that manifesto, is working against the manifesto, ideology and discipline of the party,” he said.
Ruhullah further alleged that the National Conference was moving towards normalising the political position that the BJP had sought to establish after the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
“The thing that the BJP should normalise post-abrogation of Article 370, unfortunately the National Conference is normalising the same thing,” he said.
He claimed that the political objective was increasingly being restricted to statehood, which he said he would not accept.
“I will not walk on that road,” Ruhullah said.
On whether he believed statehood and constitutional protections could eventually be restored, Ruhullah pointed to past political movements and public campaigns as examples of how sustained pressure could produce results.
“Students have shown you that if you believe in your rights, if you work with conviction, courage and sincerity, you can achieve it,” he said.
He also cited farmers’ protests as an example of sustained mobilisation leading to policy change, arguing that political demands could be achieved when pursued with determination.
Ruhullah said the people of Jammu and Kashmir should not lose faith in their constitutional demands merely because restoration had not yet taken place.
He maintained that the issue required sustained political advocacy, public mobilisation and efforts to build support across India.(KNS).
