‘No born-NC leader was in protest’
Fayaz Bukhari
SRINAGAR, Dec 24: National Conference (NC) legislator Salman Sagar today accused Member Parliament (MP) and senior NC leader Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi of hurting the party’s interests by providing a platform to its “enemies” by joining a protest against reservation policy and said that no born-NC leader was in the gathering.
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“What he (Aga Ruhullah) did was wrong. In my opinion, it should not have happened. He provided a platform to the enemies of the NC by these protests,” Sagar told reporters at party headquarters.
The MLA Hazratbal was referring to Ruhullah taking part in student protests against the existing reservation policy in Jammu and Kashmir on Monday outside the residence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. PDP leaders Waheed Para and Iltija Mufti and former Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattoo were among scores of people from political parties who joined the protesters to show their support. Separatist leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who is under house arrest, also voiced his support for the demand for “rationalisation” of quota for reserved categories.
The junior Sagar said that if the MP believes that he can do it, then that’s his individual prerogative. However, this was not the NC’s initiative, he added.
Sagar said the protest was a platform for the party’s adversaries. “It was a gathering of our adversaries, of our enemies. Unfortunately, one of our MPs was present there, giving them an opportunity to exploit the situation,” he said, adding that such actions inadvertently strengthen the position of political rivals like the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
“This is not democracy. Every party has discipline, he (Ruhullah) should have raised his concerns internally. You cannot disrespect the Chief Minister and your party through such theatrics,” the MLA from Hazratbal said.
The NC leader dismissed suggestions that Monday’s protests was an intra-party confrontation. “Did you see any other NC leader there? He (Ruhullah) was there in his capacity as an MP. You would not find any born-NC leader in such gatherings,” he said.
The NC MLA said that the party only organises protests after instructions from senior leaders such as Dr Farooq Abdullah, Omar Abdullah, or after directives from the general secretary’s office.
“Such protests are not organised independently by individuals. They must be authorised by the party leadership. What happened yesterday was entirely an individual action and not a NC event,” he said.
He accused the protest organisers of failing to consider better ways to address grievances. “If grievances truly needed redressal, there were better ways to address them. What happened yesterday, in my personal opinion, was pure drama. It didn’t benefit anyone,” he said.Sagar said that the NC stands with the students of the open merit category. “I openly declare in front of you that I stand with the students of the open merit category. Their grievances must be addressed based on their population percentage. However, we will not allow politics to be played on this issue,” he said.
He also took a dig at political opportunism, stating that the protest gave a platform to individuals who have no real stake in the issue. “People with no mandate, those who have been rejected by the public with barely 200 votes, were speaking on behalf of thousands or even millions. This kind of behavior undermines genuine efforts,” he added.
The MLA Hazratbal expressed concern about the damage such actions could inflict on the party’s credibility and unity. “The NC is a very large party, and small incidents or dirty politics won’t affect us. But actions like these create unnecessary internal strife. We have faith that under Omar Abdullah’s leadership, the aspirations of the open merit category will be addressed through the reservation policy,” he said.
He also questioned the role of those who organised and participated in the protest. “If genuine stakeholders had been engaged, it would have been meaningful. But this was clearly about internal issues and political point-scoring,” he said.
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