CM’s dig at Ruhullah: ‘Prefers Germany’s air to Budgam’s’

Srinagar, Nov 9: In a pointed remark laced with sarcasm, Chief Minister and National Conference (NC) Vice President Omar Abdullah on Sunday took a dig at his party’s Member of Parliament from Srinagar-Budgam, Aga Syed Ruhullah, over his absence from campaigning in the Budgam Assembly by-election, saying, “Maybe he likes the air of Germany better than the air of Budgam.”

Speaking to reporters after addressing a rally in Budgam, CM Omar responded to questions about Ruhullah’s conspicuous absence from the campaign trail with characteristic sharpness.

“Nobody can force them (Ruhullah). Maybe he likes to go to Germany. They are sitting there. Maybe they like the air of Germany better than Budgam. We like the air of Budgam more. We don’t go to places like Germany. We are in Budgam, among our people, listening to them and fulfilling their demands. People have chosen us for this. Germany has not chosen us to sit there,” he said.

The CM’s comments came on the last day of campaigning for the November 11 bypoll.

Aga Syed Ruhullah, one of the most influential political voices in Kashmir’s Shia belt and a three-time former MLA from Budgam, has openly distanced himself from the NC’s campaign.

His refusal to endorse or campaign for the party’s official candidate, Aga Syed Mahmood, has raised eyebrows within political and public circles, particularly since Budgam has long been seen as an NC stronghold.

The Budgam seat fell vacant after Omar Abdullah, who won from both Budgam and Ganderbal in the 2024 Assembly elections, chose to retain Ganderbal, his family’s stronghold for decades. The ensuing bypoll was meant to reaffirm NC’s influence in the region, but Ruhullah’s non-participation has exposed deeper ideological and personal differences within the party.

Ruhullah has, in recent months, taken an increasingly independent line - accusing the NC leadership of “moral retreat” and of failing to uphold the political dignity of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370.

He has publicly criticised CM Omar for being “silent on constitutional matters” and for adopting what he described as a “soft and accommodative posture” toward New Delhi.

In multiple interviews and social media posts, Ruhullah has said that the NC should not compromise on the issues of autonomy and self-respect.

“If we don’t speak for our people, what separates us from any other power-hungry outfit?” he said in a recently televised discussion, refusing to endorse the current government’s developmental narrative as a substitute for political rights. Until CM Omar’s statement on Sunday, the NC leadership had largely avoided public comment on Ruhullah’s rebellion, portraying it as a personal matter rather than a crisis of loyalty.