Ruhullah resigns as NC spokesman, says party’s demand should be restoration of J-K’s special status

M Aamir Khan

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 28

Former Cabinet minister Ruhullah Mehdi on Tuesday submitted his resignation as the chief spokesman of the J&K National Conference (JKNC).

The resignation of Mehdi came a day after JKNC vice-president Omar Abdullah had stated that he would not contest elections till J&K remained a union territory.

While Abdullah blamed the media for reading his statement as a ‘demand for statehood’, Mehdi said the party’s main demand should be restoration of J&K’s special status that was lost following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 last year.

Mehdi announced his resignation on Twitter and also shared his comments saying, “The restoration of statehood should be the least of the demands. It should be the last demand. Our main demand should be restoration of special status.”

Soon after Mehdi’s announcement to resign came to the fore, Omar in a series of tweets said he had never demanded restoration of statehood to J&K.

“I’ve simply said that having been CM of the STATE of J&K I will not fight an assembly election to the assembly of the UT of J&K. That’s it. No more no less! That’s a far cry from saying I’m demanding statehood be restored. I have no problem being disagreed with for what I say or do but when you invent things & put words in my mouth to attack me then that’s more about you than about me. All you lazy journalists & commentators please show me where I’ve demanded statehood be restored,” Omar said in reference to his write-up in a national daily.

Omar said an impression was being created that the NC had changed its demand from demanding rollback of Article 370 revocation to restoration of statehood.

“Not forgotten. The impression is being created that only statehood is required & all other aspects of 5th Aug have been washed away. That’s lazy & misleading. I have never placed statehood restoration above the fight for J&K’s special status yet the 370 comments get wiped out,” he said.

In another tweet, Omar also said he ‘may not’ contest elections if statehood was restored without restoration of special status.