| NC leader dares Ruhullah to resign, seek fresh mandate amid rift with party | | | 
Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 17: Amid mounting speculation over internal discord within the ruling National Conference (NC), the party’s provincial secretary for Jammu, Sheikh Bashir, on Thursday openly challenged Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi to resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people if he is unhappy with the party's direction.
In an informal conversation with a digital media outlet — a video of which has since gone viral on social media — Sheikh Bashir asserted that “the party is always bigger than any individual,” in a veiled rebuke aimed at the dissenting parliamentarian.
His remarks came in response to Aga Ruhullah’s recent announcement that he would convene a meeting of his supporters this Sunday to decide on his future course of action. The move has been interpreted as a signal of growing estrangement between Ruhullah and the party's central leadership.
While acknowledging that Aga Ruhullah, as an elected Member of Parliament, is entitled to his opinions, Sheikh Bashir emphasized that such disagreements should be aired within the party forums rather than in public. “There are internal platforms available for raising concerns. Taking issues to the public can harm the party’s unity and credibility,” he said.
In a pointed reminder, Sheikh Bashir invoked the example of Mirza Afzal Beg — one of the founding members of the National Conference — who faced political isolation after falling out with the party leadership in the past. “History is a great teacher,” Bashir remarked, suggesting Ruhullah should take lessons from past incidents of dissent within the NC.
The tensions come at a time when the NC is preparing for key political developments in the Union Territory, and any visible rift within its ranks could have wider electoral and strategic implications. |
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