Create political space, mobilise people, says National Conference’s Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi

Srinagar, May 11

Create a political space, mobilise people, find forces in the country who can ally with us and unite—this is National Conference (NC) candidate from the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s roadmap for restoration of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“We need to fight it politically, we need to mobilise people,” Mehdi said. “First encourage our people to express their opinion and then mobilise that opinion and create that political space where people can speak about it and stand for their rights,” Mehdi, an influential Shia leader, said.

The NC leader, a three-time former MLA from Budgam assembly segment, is the party’s candidate from Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency which has been represented by three generations of the Abdullahs.

He said the leadership needs to reach out to the entire population of Jammu and Kashmir to mobilise them and drum up support for the restoration of the special status which was revoked by the Centre on August 5, 2019. “It is not about the party cadre only, it is not about a particular party, it is about entire Jammu and Kashmir. “We need to reach out to them, we need to give them that energy and that strength and with that mobilisation, we need to take our cause to the government of India with the strength like other campaigns in the rest of the nation,” he added.

Mehdi said the leadership then needs to take the political mobilisation and opinion of the people to the rest of India and find allies. “We need to find like-minded parties like those in south who want a federal India, who want stronger states. We need to find like-minded parties and forces with whom we can join forces and one day, find ways for our dignity to be returned.

He said the opinion in support of the restoration of Article 370 needs to be brought up from the grassroots to the national level to “get our dignity and rights back”. Mehdi, who has been a strong votary of unity among the political leadership in Jammu and Kashmir, said electoral competitions aside, it is imperative to stand united for the “bigger cause”.