National Conference Rift Widens, MP Says Omar Abdullah Should Resign

In a sign of the rift within the National Conference widening, the party's Srinagar MP Aga Ruhullah has accused Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of failing to deliver on the promises made by the party and said he should resign.

Ruhullah has been critical of Abdullah over issues such as the restoration of Article 370, statehood for J&K, and reservations, and the other NC Lok Sabha MP, Mian Altaf, also appeared to criticise the chief minister on Sunday.  

Abdullah said he accepts Altaf's advice like he would his father's, but added that Altaf should not be compared to Aga, stating that there was a huge difference between the two MPs.

"I don't want to talk about him (Aga Ruhullah). Why are you trying to bring him on a par with Mian Altaf (who is the MP from Anantnag)? There is no comparison between Mian Altaf and him. There is a world of difference between the two," Abdullah had said on Monday.

Hitting back, Ruhullah said he's only following the ideology of the National Conference and raising the issues the party promised in the manifesto, and blamed Abdullah for deviating from it.

"Ask him (Abdullah) if the questions and issues I am raising are not on the agenda of the National Conference. If it's the agenda of the NC, then how come I am being accused of separating and going against the party? It's he who is following a wrong path. And, if anyone has to resign and apologise, it is he (Abdullah), and not me," the Srinagar MP said.

"It's unfortunate he (Abdullah) is making it personal. If he has decided to make it personal, I am ready to fight back. But I think there are much bigger issues than personal egos," he added.

Ruhullah said the chief minister should answer whether he has delivered on the promises made by the NC in its manifesto.

"It's not about me. I'm nobody. It's about the promises the NC has made. The fight for the restoration of Article 370 is an existential issue for us. We had promised to fight for the protection of our identity," he said.

Ruhullah went on to criticise Abdullah for abandoning core issues and criticised him for cosying up to the central government with "shawls and bouquets".

"What has he done in the past year except breaking promises and wrapping those promises in shawls and bouquets?" he asked.

The war of words also spilled onto the roads as Ruhullah's supporters held protests against the chief minister's remarks.