NC's twin troubles: Can Farooq Abdullah contain brewing revolt against Omar?

NEW DELHI: Two years after sweeping to power on a promise to reclaim Jammu and Kashmir’s political identity and dignity, Omar Abdullah’s government is confronting the limits of governing a Union Territory with constrained powers.What began as a historic return to power in October 2024 has increasingly turned into a political and administrative tightrope. While 89-year-old National Conference patron Farooq Abdullah has stepped in to contain simmering discontent among MLAs left out of the cabinet expansion, an ideological rupture has emerged with the exit of Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, who has accused the party leadership of abandoning its core promises.Caught between disgruntled legislators seeking a greater share in government and a prominent party voice questioning its political compromises, the National Conference faces a twin challenge.

The party has accused the BJP of exploiting its internal divisions to engineer an 'Operation Lotus' in Jammu and Kashmir. But is this an opposition attempt to destabilise the government, or does the turmoil point to a leadership crisis under Omar Abdullah?The show of unityThe gates of the Abdullahs' Gupkar residence in Srinagar opened to a familiar political spectacle last week as yet another party leadership put up a show of strength amid growing discontent within its ranks.Standing alongside 15 MLAs unhappy with the recent cabinet expansion, 89-year-old National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah sought to project an image of an organisation firmly in control of its affairs."The baseless reports being spread that the National Conference is divided are completely false.

This organisation is united, and those who think they can break this organisation should understand that it has never been broken and will never be broken," Farooq declared.He acknowledged that the legislators had genuine grievances and promised that some concerns would be addressed immediately, while others would be taken up gradually.But behind the show of unity, there's a bigger contradiction confronting Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah.

The National Conference, which swept the 2024 assembly elections on the promise of reclaiming Kashmir's political identity, dignity and special status, is caught between the compromises of governing a Union Territory and the expectations of the constituency that brought it to power.The party is facing two distinct challenges. While a section of its MLAs is demanding a greater share in the government and a say in decision-making, one of its most prominent political voices, Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, has walked out accusing the leadership of abandoning the very promises on which it sought votes.The ideological rupture: Ruhullah's 'decree of freedom'The fragility of the NC's united front was exposed three days before Farooq met with the disgruntled legislators.On November 3, at a gathering in Behisht-e-Zehra Park in Budgam marking the 26th death anniversary of his assassinated father, Aga Syed Mehdi, Ruhullah announced his resignation from both the National Conference and the Lok Sabha.In an 80-minute address, the Srinagar MP launched a scathing attack on Farooq and Omar Abdullah, accusing the leadership of abandoning its promises on Article 370, political prisoners and public relief.Describing his departure as a "decree of freedom", Ruhullah called the NC a "deceitful, corrupt organisation"."You told people that you were the guardians of their dignity.

You said that if anyone touched that dignity, it would be like grabbing you by the collar. That dignity was buried on August 5, 2019. Tell me now, where is that dignity? Where is that autonomy?" he asked, targeting the party leadership.He accused the NC of seeking power on promises it had failed to fulfil and said he could no longer lend his name to what he described as political humiliation.On November 6, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla formally accepted his resignation, creating a vacancy in the Srinagar parliamentary constituency.Ruhullah's departure is more than an organisational setback for the NC.

Elected to the Lok Sabha on the party's ticket in 2024, he had emerged as one of its most vocal faces on the question of Kashmir's political rights after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.While Omar Abdullah has sought to pursue the restoration of statehood and special status through legislative and political channels, Ruhullah has demanded a more uncompromising approach.

His exit gives him the opportunity to position himself as a voice of those who believe the NC has softened its stand after coming to power.He has hinted at launching a broader political movement rather than immediately forming a new party, saying he wants to bring together people committed to restoring the dignity and rights of Jammu and Kashmir.The NC, meanwhile, has questioned his own record, asking why he did not move a resolution or private member's bill in Parliament on special status or mobilise fellow MPs on the issue, despite having secured the support of more than 100 parliamentarians for an impeachment motion against an Allahabad High Court judge.The public exchange has exposed a larger ideological fault line: can the NC continue to claim ownership of the political struggle for Kashmir's rights while defending its record in government?The arithmetic ceilingWhile the ideological dissent has played out in public, the discontent within the legislative wing has centred on the distribution of power.The immediate trigger was the October 27 cabinet expansion, in which four new ministers were inducted, taking the council of ministers to its maximum permissible strength of nine.The restriction is rooted in Section 53 of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, which caps the council of ministers at 10% of the total membership of the Legislative Assembly.

With 90 elected seats, the permissible strength is nine, including the chief minister.This creates a structural constraint for Oma…