Will Not Send Him Back Empty-Handed, Says MP Ruhullah After Farooq Abdullah Asks Him To Resign

Srinagar: A day after National Conference president Dr Farooq Abdullah asked Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi to resign from the Lok Sabha and seek a fresh mandate, Ruhullah said he would respond soon.

Ruhullah told reporters, “It is not possible that Doctor Sahib asks me for something and I don’t give it to him. It is not possible that I send him back empty-handed. I will give an answer in a few days.”

His statement came after Abdullah said that if Ruhullah believed his 2024 victory was based on personal standing, he should resign and return to the electorate.

Meanwhile, the issue has revealed differences within the party over constitutional matters, including the restoration of Article 370 and statehood.

Abdullah said candidates contesting elections on the party ticket benefit from the organisation’s support and discipline. He added that disagreements are common in political organisations and should not be seen as revolts. He recalled the role of party workers and said the organisation had endured because of their commitment.

Ruhullah has maintained that his position reflects the mandate given to him by the people and has argued that Jammu and Kashmir continues to lose powers and that its leadership has failed to regain them. He has also said earlier that he may consider resigning after advancing his campaign on constitutional rights.

“This is about whether the National Conference can manage internal differences without weakening its discipline. The party has faced similar situations before, but this moment will show how it balances organisation with individual voices. Ruhullah’s reference to not sending Abdullah back empty-handed shows he is weighing the demand carefully. It also indicates he wants to frame his decision in a way that respects the leadership while asserting his own position,” Editor-in-Chief of Daily Uqab, Manzoor Anjum.

“What is unfolding is not only a question of one MP’s resignation but a larger test of how the party adapts to generational shifts in its politics. National Conference has historically relied on collective discipline, yet it has also produced leaders who sought to carve independent space. The challenge now is whether the party can accommodate such assertions without fragmenting its base,” Anjum added.

“For Ruhullah, the choice is between reinforcing his claim of representing a people’s mandate and recognising the organisational framework that enabled his victory. For Abdullah, the demand is a way of reasserting the primacy of party discipline. The outcome will shape not just the internal balance of the NC but also the wider discourse on representation and constitutional rights in Jammu and Kashmir,” he further added.