SRINAGAR, Oct 26: National Conference (NC) senior leader and Member of Parliament Aga Ruhullah on Sunday lashed out at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over his recent remarks that he was “not afraid of people” regarding the reservation issue, terming the statement “shocking and disappointing.”
Speaking at the 4th Halla Bolle Conclave at Radisson Collection in Srinagar, Ruhullah said that Omar’s remarks were an affront to the very people who had voted the party into power.
“These are the same people who elected him, yet instead of working for their welfare, he is going against them,” Ruhullah said.
He accused the NC leadership of deviating from its pre-poll promises, saying the party had pledged to “restore what was taken from the people” and to “fight for everything” during the 2024 elections. “Now that we are in power, the fight has been reduced only to statehood,” he said.
Ruhullah further alleged that the NC was now following in the footsteps of those it had earlier criticized. “Before the elections, we accused other parties of being aligned with the BJP and supporting the August 5 decision. But today, the NC seems to be doing the same—pursuing policies that BJP allies once advocated,” he remarked.
He said the reservation issue should have been among the government’s top priorities but lamented that “nothing concrete is being done.”
“People voted in 2024 for the NC to resist BJP’s policies that made people feel suffocated. But hearing the Chief Minister say ‘I’m not afraid of the people’ is both shocking and unexpected,” Ruhullah said.
He added that such language should have been reserved for political opponents in Delhi, not for the electorate in Jammu and Kashmir. “If he wanted to show courage, he should have said this to Delhi—not to the very people who elected him seeking some relief,” Ruhullah asserted.
The Budgam MP also took a dig at the NC government’s handling of day-to-day governance, particularly on public utility issues. “Last year, we told people we would remove these smart meters, but now that we are in power, we are defending them too,” he said.
Ruhullah’s sharp criticism underscores a growing rift within the party ranks over the government’s policy direction and its handling of public concerns.
