The ruling National Conference (NC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday squarely blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for engineering a rift within its ranks and prompting Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi to resign from both the party and Parliament.
This came even as the BJP repeatedly clarified that it has no involvement in the NC’s internal affairs, describing the developments as an entirely internal matter of the regional party.
Ruhullah, a prominent Shia leader and three-time former MLA from Budgam, announced his decision on Tuesday during a large public gathering at Behisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam.
On Wednesday, NC leaders hit back hard. Hazratbal MLA Salman Ali Sagar, addressing a press conference with Banihal MLA Sajad Shaheen in Srinagar, alleged that the BJP had succeeded in its “Operation Lotus” by pushing Ruhullah out of the party.
“Unfortunately, I feel the BJP has succeeded in its ‘Operation Lotus’ in Jammu and Kashmir by taking out Aga Ruhullah Sahib from the National Conference,” Sagar said. He linked it to earlier exits of leaders like Devender Singh Rana and Surjit Singh Slathia, claimed Ruhullah targeted only Omar Abdullah while remaining silent on the BJP and PDP, and questioned whether it was an “ego clash.”
Interestingly, one of the disgruntled party MLAs and senior National Conference leader Mubarak Gul on Wednesday postponed his scheduled press conference, saying he did not wish to make any disclosure at this stage and would speak at an appropriate time.
Explaining his decision, Gul said he wanted to respect the sentiments of his colleagues, some of whom, he said, had been associated with him for nearly 51 years.
“Given the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, it is important to maintain the atmosphere, consult my colleagues and respect the feelings and sentiments of those who have worked with me,” he said.
“Keeping their feelings and sentiments in mind, I announce that I am postponing today’s press conference. I will not disclose anything today,” Gul said.
Some media reports claimed that the National Conference has already launched a massive outreach to pacify the disgruntled party MLA’s. Party insiders claimed Chief Minister Omar Abdullah is expected to meet party MLA’s on November 6 to address their grievances.
Meanwhile, reacting to National Conference MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s resignation, BJP National Headquarters In-Charge and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Chugh on Wednesday said that even MPs and MLAs from Omar Abdullah’s own party are now questioning his government’s competence and experience. This growing dissent within the National Conference is a clear reflection of the failure of Omar Abdullah’s leadership.