Ruhullah questions Sakeena Itoo’s remarks on Omar Abdullah’s 2024 poll decision, saying no one could have pressured him to contest if he had taken a principled stand.
Ganderbal, Sept 12: Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi on Saturday said his political course would become clearer after November 3, asserting that the “real match” would begin after the date, while also backing veterinary interns protesting at the SKUAST-Kashmir campus in Shuhama over their stipend.
Asked about his earlier remark that his “match” had not yet begun, Ruhullah said it would become clear after November 3 whether he and his supporters would form a new political party or adopt another political course.
“Our match will begin after November 3. Everyone will know after November 3 whether we will form a new party or what our stand will be,” he said while speaking to reporters in Ganderbal.
Ruhullah also hit back at Health Minister Sakeena Itoo’s remarks that Chief Minister Omar Abdullah had initially been unwilling to contest the 2024 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly elections and had been pressured by his party to do so.
He said that if Omar Abdullah had taken a principled decision not to contest the election, nobody could have forced him into the electoral fray.
“If Omar Abdullah had decided that he would not contest the election, no one could have pressured him,” Ruhullah said.
Ruhullah said he had attended several party functions and meetings during the election period where election-related matters were discussed, but claimed he did not witness any situation in which Omar Abdullah was being pressured to contest.
He maintained that Omar Abdullah was ready to contest the election at the time and questioned the claim that he had entered the electoral battle under pressure from the party.
The MP also said that a leader should remain firm on a position taken on principle and be capable of withstanding pressure rather than changing their stand according to circumstances.
Later, Ruhullah joined the ongoing protest by veterinary interns at the SKUAST-Kashmir campus in Shuhama and extended support to their demand for an increase in stipend.
Questioning the Rs 6,000 monthly stipend currently being paid to the interns, Ruhullah said students who spend years pursuing professional education should not be expected to work for such a low amount.
“If other states can get more than Rs 20,000 in stipends, I don’t think there is such a shortage in our state,” he said.
He urged Agriculture Minister Javed Ahmad Dar to meet the protesting students and listen to their grievances, saying he would wait for a day or two for the department or higher authorities to initiate dialogue with them.
“If that does not happen, I will involve more people and amplify this issue,” Ruhullah said.
He said his political differences should not overshadow the issue that had brought him to the protest site, stressing that the interns’ demand should be considered on its merits.
Ruhullah also raised the concerns of medical interns and the issue of reservation, saying an elected government had a responsibility to listen to the people who had voted it into power.
“When an elected government, which we have elected, behaves worse than the LG’s administration… then the concept of democracy and accountability fails,” he said.
On reservation, Ruhullah urged the government to meet the students and explain the status of their file, saying the matter should be resolved before the students were compelled to return to the streets.
He said the veterinary interns’ grievances should be resolved through dialogue and reiterated his appeal to the Agriculture Minister to meet the protesting students and address their demands.
