Srinagar, Sep 03 : National Conference MP Syed Aga Ruhullah on Thursday said Wednesday’s rival street demonstrations in the city had laid bare the “complete surrender” of Jammu and Kashmir’s sovereignty and the diminishing popular appeal of the region’s mainstream political leadership.
Referring to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) rally at Ghanta Ghar, MP Ruhullah as per said in a post on X, the opposition party, which he described as a “non-entity” in Kashmir’s electoral landscape, could not have staged such a show of strength without an overarching political capitulation.
“The BJP, a non-entity in Kashmir’s politics, can dare to walk to Ghanta Ghar and hold our streets. That is how complete the surrender of this state has been. It should shame every party that calls itself mainstream,”
In an apparent reference to his own party’s protest demanding restoration of statehood, MP Ruhullah said the event failed to draw public participation beyond party workers, reflecting a deep-seated disconnect between the people and the established political class.
“A people’s protest draws people beyond your own rank and file. This one did not. It’s clear what Delhi saw recently with protests, Kashmir did not today. People do not identify with these leaders. They do not trust them. Their politics has shrunk to producing loud media bytes,” he added.
The NC leader asserted that the political stagnation could not be addressed by reshuffling existing faces, and called for a fundamental transformation of the region’s political framework.
“That can’t be fixed by rearranging the same faces. It is fixed by replacing this politics. That is the work ahead,” he said.
Notably, The ruling National Conference and the opposition BJP had taken their political battle to the streets of Srinagar on Wednesday, with the NC demanding restoration of statehood and constitutional guarantees for Jammu and Kashmir, while the BJP targeted the Omar Abdullah-led government over unemployment, electricity tariffs, development and alleged governance failures.
