MP Ruhullah questions NC’s post-2019 approach, says elected representatives must remain accountable to the people

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Baramulla, CNI NEWS: National Conference MP from the Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency, Syed Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, has said that Jammu and Kashmir has continued to lose political powers over the years, while its leadership has failed to secure their restoration.

Speaking to reporters during an interaction in Baramulla on Sunday, Ruhullah said his remarks were not aimed at any particular individual or political party, but reflected his concerns about the broader political situation in Jammu and Kashmir.

“J&K has always lost things and not gained,” he said, referring to the loss of statehood and the changes concerning Article 370. He argued that the region had not witnessed any significant political gains since the beginning of its political journey.

Questioning the National Conference’s position after it returned to power, Ruhullah alleged that the party’s approach towards the rights lost after 2019 had changed. He said people had supported the NC in the 2024 Assembly elections on the basis of commitments made during the election campaign regarding the restoration of those rights.

Ruhullah said the demands he was raising were based on promises made to the people and were not his personal agenda. He maintained that Kashmiris had placed their trust in the party with the expectation that the rights lost after 2019 would remain a key part of its political agenda.

The NC MP also defended his right to question the party leadership, saying elected representatives should be able to raise genuine concerns when they believe political commitments are not being followed.

“Why can’t I raise issues against the party? We are not slaves of the party,” he said, stressing that questioning the leadership should not automatically be viewed as opposition to the organisation.

Ruhullah also questioned the increasing emphasis on the restoration of statehood, saying that it was only one part of the broader political agenda. He recalled that NC vice president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had previously criticised the tendency to focus solely on statehood, arguing that other political issues also required attention.

The Srinagar MP further stressed that political parties derive their mandate from the people and must therefore remain answerable to them. He said party leaders and elected representatives should be open to scrutiny, particularly when questions are raised about commitments made during elections.

Ruhullah maintained that his concerns were aimed at keeping the issues and rights promised to the people during the election campaign alive in Jammu and Kashmir’s political discourse, rather than undermining the party itself. CNI NEWS