Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 3 : Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday officially announced his resignation from his parliamentary seat and the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference (JKNC), on the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, before a large gathering of supporters at Behesht-e-Zehra Park.
He described his resignation as voluntary and genuine and requested the Speaker to accept it. Mehdi also shared the letter on X.
In a letter dated November 3 addressed to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Mehdi tendered his resignation from the membership of the Eighteenth Lok Sabha, representing the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, with immediate effect.
"In exercise of the right conferred by Article 101(3)(b) of the Constitution of India, and in terms of Rule 240 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha, I hereby resign my seat as the Member of Parliament representing the Srinagar Parliamentary Constituency of Jammu and Kashmir in the Eighteenth Lok Sabha, with immediate effect," the letter stated.
https://x.com/RuhullahMehdi/status/2117557843020878102
Addressing reporters after the announcement, Mehdi said the gathering was larger than he had expected and emphasised that people had come on their own to listen to his decision.
"The crowd gathered here more than expected. And they didn't come here to celebrate getting a position or a post. Nobody paid them to be here. They weren't brought in by some party worker; they left their homes and came on their own. They spent their own money and gave their own time," he said.
He said people from different parts of Jammu and Kashmir, including Jammu, Kashmir, Poonch, Rajouri, Kishtwar and Kupwara, had attended the gathering.
"They came because someone is pushing the chair out here for the sake of principles. If this many people can gather for principles, and they came on their own, that's a huge success for those people, for me, and for principled politics," Mehdi said, adding that he had also spoken about the upcoming elections during his address.
Asked how long it would take to bring people together and build a movement, Mehdi said the timeline would depend on the willingness of people to come forward and the availability of individuals committed to the cause.
"This might take time. It could also take less time, depending on how ready people are, like the way people have shown today. So if they are ready like this, we just have to wait for the right people. Once the right people are found, transferring things to them in some form or another isn't a big deal," he said.
He added that he had not set any deadline for the process, saying the movement should remain focused on its objectives rather than a specific timeline.
"I'm not counting any time, and I haven't set any months or years for when things should be done. If good people step forward soon, it will take less time. If it takes longer to find the right people, then it will just take that much time," he said.
Asked whether he would approach like-minded political parties and leaders to build the proposed movement, Mehdi said he did not intend to involve political leaders who had a record of working against the interests of Jammu and Kashmir.
"I don't involve any political leaders who have baggage and have done wrong to Riyasat in this work. They can't help achieve this goal," he said.
However, he said individuals with political experience and a clean record could come forward, provided they were willing to leave their positions and organisations behind and demonstrate their commitment.
"There might be some people who have experience in politics and have done the work. They should start with themselves. They should come forward with a clear conscience, leaving their positions and organisations behind. They should start on their own, and people can form an opinion about them," he said.
Appealing to young people and elders to take part in the initiative, Mehdi said ordinary citizens were equally capable of leading such an effort.
"I have appealed to the youth and the elders myself, and people like you. The people gathered here are they any less capable than the people gathered there? Allah hasn't given anyone a birth certificate saying only they can do this work. You can do this work too. There are thousands of young people like this; we just need to find them," he said.
Meanwhile, on the announcement of the resignation of Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi as party member and party MP, JKNC spokesperson Imran Nabi Dar said, "We have said again and again that Aga Ruhullah is a senior leader and an important religious personality. We had hoped for him to review his decision. If there was an issue, it could have been resolved through dialogue...In J&K, we are surrounded with a lot of difficulties right now. Such things are adding to our difficulties. So, we hope that he will understand all this and keeping all this mind he will review his decision..."
The resignation marks an escalation of tensions between Mehdi and the National Conference leadership over the party's alleged failure to act on promises made during the Assembly elections. He had earlier accused the party of not fulfilling commitments related to the restoration of Article 370, the release of prisoners and the protection of people's rights.
In an earlier statement, Mehdi had rejected speculation that his decision was linked to political horse-trading within the party, asserting that his stand was based on principles rather than personal grievances.
"Please do not associate me with any potential 'horse-trading' that might occur within the National Conference. I neither desire nor support horse-trading. My struggle is based on principles. It stems from the fact that the promises and assurances the National Conference gave to the people during the elections have not been fulfilled or acted upon. I have not been deprived of any position; I harbour no personal grievance over failing to secure a specific post or office," he had said.
In a statement issued by his office, Mehdi had also accused the party leadership of treating Jammu and Kashmir as a family estate and betraying the promises on which it sought power.
"We demanded the restoration of Article 370, the release of prisoners and the protection of our rights. They sought power on those promises, then treated us as fools for expecting them to deliver. We refuse to lend our name to this humiliation. There is no fixing this rot from within," the statement said.
The statement further said that Mehdi had won his Lok Sabha seat on a promise to the people and would surrender it rather than become an accomplice to its betrayal.