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NCRuhullah rift: Will party's working committee issue show-cause notice to disgruntled MP?

SRINAGAR: The differences between National Conference (NC) MP Aga Ruhullah and the ruling party have widened after the MP, for the first time since 2002, was not invited to the partys two-day Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting that began in Srinagar on Thursday. It remains to be seen whether the partys working committee will take any action against the MP, who was the partys poster boy in the 2024 Assembly polls, and issue a show-cause notice. The two-day NC working committee meeting, held at party headquarters in Srinagar, is chaired by NC president Farooq Abdullah and attended by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Coundhary, ministers, MLAs, and other senior leaders. Sources in the party said the deliberations on the first day focused on the prevailing political and governance situation in J&K. Deliberations were also held on the partys recent defeat in the Budgam bypoll, its first loss in the constituency since 1977, and the reservation issue, which has gained urgency after MP Ruhullah issued a December 20 deadline for the Omar government to resolve the matter or face protests, the sources said. MP Ruhullah, who is unhappy over the government's soft policies towards the Centre and its failure to push for Article 370 restoration and equitable job reservations, was not invited to the working committee meeting. Ruhullah, who has been sidelined by the party over his criticism of the government, is a permanent member of the CWC, and this is the first time since 2002 that he has been excluded from a working committee meeting. On the first day of the working committee meeting, Ruhullah travelled to Ganderbal in central Kashmir, where he visited the family of a Delhi bomb blast victim to offer condolences. Talking to reporters, Ruhullah dismissed speculation that he was planning to float a new political outfit. He said he has a disagreement with NC based on principles, particularly the party's commitment to fight for restoration of Article 370. According to Ruhullah, NC got a mandate to pursue its political agenda for the restoration of statehood and look for allies across the country to create a force to seek our constitutional guarantees and advocate for political prisoners. We have to fulfill those promises. We cannot dilute our cause by using BJPs language by limiting the fight to restoration of statehood, he said. The NC MP said people put their trust in the mainstream in the 2024 polls and if there is a betrayal or failure that trust would be lost forever. Ruhullah, who did not campaign for the NC candidate in recently held Budgam bypolls, has been blamed by CM Omar Abdullah for the party's defeat in the seat. Budgam was a stronghold of NC and the party had not lost any election from the seat since 1977. But in the bypolls, NCs Aga Mahmood lost to PDPs Aga Muntazir, whom Omar had defeated by about 17,000 votes a year ago during Assembly polls. As deliberations on the second day of the two-day working committee begin today, it would be interesting to see what kind of approach the party adopts with Ruhullah. Todays deliberations are expected to be crucial, as senior leaders might weigh their options and evaluate the potential impact of any disciplinary action against Ruhullah. It would be interesting to see whether the NC working committee issues a show-cause notice to the disgruntled MP after the conclusion of the meeting or opts to refrain from any action to preserve the unity of the party at a sensitive political moment. The partys next step is being closely watched.