Ram Madhav's "Blessings" Comment As Ex-National Conference Leader Holds Rally

BJP vice president Ram Madhav on Tuesday said National Conference MP Aga Ruhullah was holding a rally with the blessings of "our people", while claiming that the ruling party in Jammu and Kashmir was visibly divided.

Srinagar MP Ruhullah on Tuesday announced his resignation from the National Conference and his Lok Sabha seat at a rally in Budgam marking the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi, who was assassinated in 2000.

"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, who played a key role in the formation of the PDP-BJP government in J&K in 2015-2016, told reporters.

The National Conference, which returned to power with a decisive mandate in 2024, is facing its worst internal crisis.

Madhav distanced the BJP from the internal developments of the National Conference, maintaining that any statements made by BJP legislators were separate from the party's position.

"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.

Several BJP MLAs and senior leaders have been claiming that the National Conference is heading towards a split and that the Omar Abdullah-led government could collapse amid growing dissent within the ruling party.

"Today, one of their own MPs has come out and is holding a programme... That is their internal affair. What do we have to do with it?" he said.

The crisis has deepened further with differences brewing within the party's own legislature. Around 20 to 25 NC MLAs have reportedly submitted a memorandum to party president Dr Farooq Abdullah, demanding a complete overhaul of the cabinet and the party organisation. They have sought removal of all incumbent ministers and of the Chief Minister's key advisors Nasir Aslam Wani and Shammi Oberoi.

The discontent erupted after the recent cabinet expansion and reshuffle by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, which left several senior legislators including Mubarak Gul, Majid Larmi and Nazir Gurezi feeling sidelined.

According to sources, the dissenting legislators have given a 14-day ultimatum to the high command, threatening to approach the Raj Bhavan if their concerns are not addressed.

Political observers say the party is now caught between two distinct challenges - one ideological, posed by Ruhullah questioning the party's core agenda, and the other organisational, with a large section of MLAs questioning its style of functioning.