NC’s rebel MP Mehdi says he will join Delhi protest for J&K statehood, Art 370; calls for broader movement

SRINAGAR: A day after CM Omar Abdullah convened a meeting of NC legislators and MPs at Dachigam National Park on the outskirts of Srinagar and announced a protest in New Delhi on the opening day of Parliament’s monsoon session for the restoration of statehood and “constitutional guarantees” to Jammu and Kashmir, the party’s rebel MP Aga Ruhullah Mehdi said he was willing to join the demonstration, and added that it should evolve into a broader movement.

The NC statement issued after Wednesday’s meeting, to which Mehdi was not invited, did not elaborate on what the party meant by “constitutional guarantees to J&K”, but it’s widely believed to have alluded to Article 370.

Mehdi said NC should reach out to opposition parties and build a momentum for the cause, both inside and outside Parliament, while simultaneously mobilising public support in the Valley. “I will join anyone who sincerely fights for Article 370 without optics or theatrics,” he said, adding, “One protest is not enough; it has to be a constant and continuous process.”

The Srinagar-Ganderbal MP, who has accused the NC leadership of not taking up a stand on Article 370, asked J&K parties to learn from Ladakh. “A united fight can yield results,” he said.