Decision Will Be Collective: Ruhullah On His Political Future

(MENAFN- Kashmir Observer) Srinagar- Lok Sabha MP Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday said he will soon announce his political future after holding discussions with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the youth, weeks after deciding to part ways with the National Conference on“ideological grounds”.

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“I will sit down with everyone, especially with the youth. Whatever decision is made, it will be a collective one - whether to form a new party, not form one, or what to do next. It will be a collective decision taken together with the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the youth,” Ruhullah told reporters in Ganderbal district.

Responding to a question about whether he would join another political party or form a new one, Ruhullah said he first wanted to“free” himself from certain“chains” before taking the next step.

“First, let me free myself from certain chains on November 3. Let me break those chains, let me cut those ropes,” he said.

Ruhullah had announced that he would quit the Lok Sabha and resign from the primary membership of the NC on November 3, coinciding with the 26th death anniversary of his father Aga Syed Mehdi, who was killed by terrorists.

Ruhullah won the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency in the 2024 general elections. However, he has frequently disagreed with the NC leadership over what he described as its shift in position on the restoration of Article 370 and its failure to fulfil promises made during the elections.

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Shortly after Ruhullah announced his decision to quit, NC president Farooq Abdullah challenged him to contest elections independently.

Asked about the health minister's reported remarks that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had not wanted to contest the Assembly elections but was pressured by the party, Ruhullah said the chief minister should have taken a principled stand.

“There is something called a principled stand. If you take a principled stand, then no matter what pressure comes, you can face that pressure,” he said.

“Now tell me, was that his principled stand? If it was a principled stand, then why did he abandon it under someone else's pressure? You cannot trust a person like that - someone who changes his principled stand when pressured. How can we trust that if they take a stand today, they won't alter it under someone else's duress tomorrow?” Ruhullah said.

He said leadership meant having conviction and the ability to stand by one's decisions despite pressure.

“If a person can be forced to change decisions under pressure, then obviously, such a person is not a leader, nor can they be relied upon,” Ruhullah said.

Ruhullah also rejected the suggestion that Omar had faced significant pressure from the party to change his decision.

“I am a witness to all those inner workings; I was a firsthand participant in them. There was no massive pressure from the party asking him to change his decision. Until it was his personal wish, his personal need, he termed that personal need as pressure and took that decision himself,” he said.

Ruhullah said Omar could have resisted the pressure and demonstrated leadership by allowing someone else to become chief minister.

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“He could have made someone else chief minister, someone outside the family could have been appointed, and he could have played a leadership role. But the chief ministership, after all, is a temptation, and he (Abdullah) couldn't resist that temptation,” Ruhullah said.

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