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Mehdi Resigns from NC to Challenge Ideology

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, the National Conference (NC) MP from Srinagar, announced that he will formally resign from the party tomorrow at a rally held on the death anniversary of his father, Shia cleric Aga Syed Mehdi, who was assassinated in 2000. He said he has been with the NC for 24 years but the party failed to honour its promises of autonomy after the abrogation of Article 370, and has moved closer to the BJP, diluting its stance on Muslim issues, reservations and Waqf amendments. Mehdi accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of normalising the post‑abrogation arrangement and eroding the NC’s autonomy. He also criticised the party’s inability to defend its ideological position against rivals such as the PDP and the Hurriyat Conference. In a statement to the Times of India, Mehdi said he will build a new political alternative, reaching out to journalists, lawyers, doctors and teachers, and may contest future by‑elections from Srinagar as an independent. He stressed that his resignation is a matter of conscience and principles, not electoral ambition, and that he will not bargain for any return. The resignation will take effect at the rally on November 3, the day his father died.

· The Times of India

The essential points

  1. 01Mehdi will resign from NC tomorrow at a rally on his father's death anniversary.
  2. 02He accuses the NC of abandoning Article 370 and drifting closer to the BJP.
  3. 03Mehdi plans to form a new political alternative and may contest future by‑elections as an independent.
  4. 04He criticises CM Omar Abdullah for normalising the post‑abrogation status quo and eroding NC’s autonomy.
The full brief

Aga Ruhullah Mehdi, the National Conference (NC) MP from Srinagar, announced that he will formally resign from the party tomorrow at a rally held on the death anniversary of his father, Shia cleric Aga Syed Mehdi, who was assassinated in 2000. He said he has been with the NC for 24 years but the party failed to honour its promises of autonomy after the abrogation of Article 370, and has moved closer to the BJP, diluting its stance on Muslim issues, reservations and Waqf amendments. Mehdi accused Chief Minister Omar Abdullah of normalising the post‑abrogation arrangement and eroding the NC’s autonomy.

He also criticised the party’s inability to defend its ideological position against rivals such as the PDP and the Hurriyat Conference. In a statement to the Times of India, Mehdi said he will build a new political alternative, reaching out to journalists, lawyers, doctors and teachers, and may contest future by‑elections from Srinagar as an independent. He stressed that his resignation is a matter of conscience and principles, not electoral ambition, and that he will not bargain for any return.

The resignation will take effect at the rally on November 3, the day his father died.