- Farooq Abdullah rejected split reports after meeting party MLAs.
- Leadership assured MLAs regarding grievances from recent cabinet expansion.
- Abdullah affirmed unity, committed to strengthening party and government.
- Dissent followed cabinet expansion and MP Aga Mehdi’s resignation.
National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Friday rejected reports of a split within the party following a meeting with several legislators in Srinagar, amid growing discontent over Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet expansion in October. Omar Abdullah also attended the meeting, during which the leadership discussed concerns raised by party MLAs and assured them that steps would be taken to address their grievances.
‘This Organisation Is United’: Farooq Abdullah Rejects Rift Reports
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Farooq Abdullah dismissed speculation about divisions within the National Conference, describing reports of a possible split as baseless. He said the leadership had heard the legislators and acknowledged their concerns.
“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. We have spoken to them. Their issues were genuine and have been given due consideration,” he said, according to ANI.
Abdullah added that some concerns would be addressed immediately, while others would be taken up gradually. He also reiterated the party’s commitment to strengthening the government and continuing its political demands.
“Everyone was heard, and some steps will be taken soon, while others will be taken gradually. We will strengthen the party and the government so that people’s difficulties can be addressed. Alongside this, our fight for the restoration of Statehood, as well as our fight for Articles 370 and 35A, will continue, and it will be taken to its final conclusion,” Abdullah added.
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NC MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan Rules Out Formation Of Separate Faction
National Conference MLA Nazir Ahmad Khan also rejected speculation that disgruntled legislators were planning to form a separate group. He maintained that the MLAs had approached the party leadership to discuss their grievances.
“Every time, we approach our party leadership with our issues. A few days ago, we were sitting together at one place, and the media projected it as though a separate party had emerged from the National Conference. No new party was formed. We had certain issues which we raised before our Chief Minister and Farooq Sahib, and they have assured us that these issues will be addressed,” Khan told reporters.
He said the leadership had assured the legislators that their political and other concerns would be taken up in phases.
Dissent Over Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet Expansion
The meeting came amid reports of growing dissatisfaction among National Conference legislators following Omar Abdullah’s Cabinet expansion last month.
Several MLAs, including more than 20 party legislators who had reportedly expressed dissent, arrived at Farooq Abdullah’s Srinagar residence on Friday to meet the party leadership.
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Aga Ruhullah Mehdi’s Resignation Adds To Party Challenges
The developments come against the backdrop of differences within the party following Srinagar Lok Sabha MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi’s announcement on Tuesday that he was resigning from both the Lok Sabha and the National Conference.
Mehdi had also announced a large gathering of supporters at Behesht-e-Zehra Park to mark the 26th death anniversary of his father, Aga Syed Mehdi.
Describing his resignation as voluntary and genuine, he requested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to accept it. In a letter dated November 3, Mehdi formally tendered his resignation from the Eighteenth Lok Sabha as the representative of the Srinagar parliamentary constituency, with immediate effect.
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