SRINAGAR: In a dramatic escalation of internal discord within the National Conference (NC), Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi on Thursday skipped the party’s crucial Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting — reportedly after being left out of the invite list — and instead launched a political outreach programme in Ganderbal, the home constituency of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
This is the first time since 2002 that Ruhullah, a permanent member of the CWC, was not asked to attend the meeting. The timing of his parallel visit — in Omar Abdullah’s stronghold and on the day the NC leadership met to review recent setbacks, including the Budgam bypoll defeat — was widely viewed as a calculated message.
Speaking to the media in Bunpora, Tulmulla, where he interacted with local farmers, Ruhullah confirmed the snub.
“If the working committee meeting is going on, I am a permanent member of it. This is the first time since 2002 that I have not been invited,” he remarked.
His office earlier stated that he “has neither been invited nor informed” of any such meeting in Srinagar.
Ruhullah has increasingly distanced himself from NC’s organisational decisions in recent months, openly criticising the party’s stance on reservation rationalisation and its recalibrated post–Article 370 political narrative. His absence from the CWC — combined with a conspicuous outreach in Ganderbal — marks the most public expression yet of his widening rift with the Abdullah leadership.
During his visit, the MP is also scheduled to meet the family of a Kangan youth who died in the Red Fort blast in New Delhi — a move that adds emotional resonance to his political messaging and signals an attempt to deepen grassroots engagement at a time when the NC is grappling with electoral challenges.
Amid speculation that he may be considering launching a new political platform, Ruhullah denied any such plans.
“I have not kept a distance from any party, nor have I spoken to anyone to form another party,” he said.
But he reiterated the ideological divide that has placed him at odds with the NC leadership:
“We made promises to the people that we would fight for protections linked to Article 370. We received votes on that. We cannot change our language after getting that mandate.”
As the NC top brass in Srinagar searched for corrective measures following recent losses, Ruhullah’s assertive outreach in Ganderbal underscored a deepening fault line — one that has now shifted decisively from internal dissent to open political posturing at a crucial juncture for the party.
