Jammu, Nov 03: BJP national vice-president Ram Madhav on Tuesday said the National Conference (NC) was visibly divided, while commenting on Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s resignation from the party and the Lok Sabha, and claimed that the latter was holding his rally in Budgam with the blessings of “our people”.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to Jammu, as per news agency JKNS, Madhav said he did not wish to comment on the NC’s internal developments but maintained that the ruling party was facing visible divisions.
“I would not like to comment on the matter, but the National Conference is visibly divided today. Ruhullah is holding the rally today with the blessings of our people,” Madhav said.
He, however, categorically distanced the BJP from the developments within the NC, saying the party had no involvement in its internal affairs.
“Let me reiterate that we have no involvement in the internal affairs of the National Conference. Whatever statements our MLAs make are a separate matter. This is entirely an internal matter of the NC, and its leaders are fighting among themselves,” he said.
Madhav’s remarks came amid reports of growing dissent within the ruling party following the recent Cabinet expansion by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. Several BJP leaders have also claimed that the NC was heading towards a split, although Madhav declined to speculate about possible future political developments.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and former J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina also described Ruhullah’s resignation and the reported differences within the NC as the party’s internal matter, ruling out any BJP involvement in attempts to form a government through defections or political manoeuvring.
“We have absolutely nothing to do with the turmoil within the National Conference. Whether its MLAs are raising the banner of rebellion or an MP is resigning, it is their internal matter. They have to deal with it themselves,” Raina told reporters at the BJP headquarters in Jammu.
Describing Ruhullah as a “very shrewd politician”, Raina recalled that he had served as an MLA for three terms and had also held a ministerial position in Jammu and Kashmir.
Referring to reports that nearly 25 NC MLAs had expressed dissent, Raina said the developments indicated growing internal tensions within the ruling party and asserted that NC president Farooq Abdullah and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah must take responsibility for resolving the situation.
“If there is a turmoil within their own house, it is for Abdullah and Omar to put their house in order. Why should we be concerned? We have nothing to do with it,” he said.
Rejecting reports that the BJP was in touch with disgruntled NC legislators or planning to exploit the internal differences to form a government, Raina termed such claims baseless.
He also made it clear that the BJP would not rely on defections or political manoeuvring to form a government in Jammu and Kashmir, saying the party would come to power only through a public mandate.
“Whenever the BJP gets a mandate from the people of Jammu and Kashmir, we will form our government. It will never happen that some MLAs rebel against a party and the BJP uses defections or political manoeuvring to form a government,” Raina said.
However, he warned that the ruling party could face significant political challenges in the coming days.
“As a political worker, I can say that the ruling party in J&K is going to face major difficulties and challenges in the days ahead. A mountain of troubles is approaching them,” he claimed.
Notably, Ruhullah announced his resignation from the NC and the Lok Sabha during a public gathering at Behisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam on Tuesday, held on the 26th death anniversary of his father, late Aga Syed Mehdi, who was assassinated in 2000.
During the gathering, Ruhullah handed over his resignation letter to Mohammad Ashraf Mattoo, father of teenager Tufail Mattoo, who was killed during protests in 2010, asking him to forward it to NC president Farooq Abdullah.
Tufail’s death had triggered widespread protests against the then Omar Abdullah-led government, in which Ruhullah was serving as a Cabinet minister at the time. (JKNS)
