At a corner of Behist-e-Zehra Park in this central Kashmir district, where disgruntled National Conference (NC) MP Ruhullah Mehdi is set to announce his resignation, a nine-year-old boy stands holding a placard in support of the Shia leader, seemingly oblivious to the political significance of the event.
Dayim Raza, a Class 3 student at a private school, holds a placard that reads in Urdu, “Wada kursi se bada hai” (A promise is bigger than a chair).
The slogan reflects the theme around which Mehdi, the Lok Sabha MP from Srinagar, has centred his politics. The image of a child carrying a placard and supporting ‘his leader’ signifies what he has achieved, at least in perception, especially on social media — popularity across the board, including those too young to understand the nuances of politics.
The date of Mehdi’s planned announcement holds significance for him and his supporters. His father, Aga Syed Mehdi, was killed in a militant attack on this day in 2000.
Raza, who is on holiday after his annual examinations, travelled from Harwan on the outskirts of Srinagar City with his father and grandfather to support what he called a “good leader”.
“Ruhullah is a good leader, he is honest,” Raza told PTI.
Asked what the placard meant, the boy read the words fluently but could not explain their meaning.
“I came with my father and grandfather to lend my support. The school is off, so that was no problem,” he said.
His grandfather, Mohammad Rafeeq, said the boy had accompanied them early in the morning and was enthusiastic about coming to the park.
“He almost didn’t sleep last night. He made the placard and was excited to come here to support an honest man, who makes sense in politics and speaks the truth,” Rafeeq said.
He alleged that successive political parties had failed to fulfil their promises and said he would support anyone he considered honest.
“Whoever is honest, whether it is Aga Ruhullah or anyone else, we will support them. All the parties that have ruled here over the past 70 years have lied. The common people are poor, 70 per cent of the people here are poor. But nobody did anything here,” he said.
Asked whether Mehdi’s decision to resign was justified, Rafeeq said the NC had betrayed the MP’s trust and that of the people.
He alleged that the party had made several promises during the election campaign, including the restoration of Article 370 and Article 35A, and measures for daily wagers, Special Police Officers (SPOs) and Anganwadi workers, but had failed to deliver on them.
“They only filled their own pockets and did nothing for the people,” he alleged.
As men and children gathered at the park, within walking distance of the main town, slogans in support of the “rebel” MP grew louder.
Locals said the park, built on government land, is also used for prayers on Ashoora, the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram.
Mohammad Shafi, a resident of Magam, the gateway town to the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg, said he supported Mehdi’s decision to resign from the NC, adding that the MP had taken it after considerable thought.
Shafi alleged that the party had not responded to people’s concerns over the past year and had failed to fulfil promises made during the last elections, including providing 200 units of free electricity and one lakh jobs.
“Because of this, he was compelled to take this decision today,” Shafi said, adding that he believed the truth would ultimately prevail.
“No matter how much you lie, you will ultimately have to pay the price for it. Aga Sahab has made a good decision. God willing, we hope that when we, the public, stand with him, stand by the truth — just as he has walked on the path of truth till today and will continue to do so, he will achieve success,” he added.
Hayat Hussain, who travelled from the Sonawari area of north Kashmir’s Bandipora district, said Mehdi had been a star campaigner for the NC during the 2024 Assembly elections, but the party had overlooked his efforts after coming to power.
“We placed our trust in him and cast our votes. But unfortunately, the National Conference overlooked all his hard work — so how would they remember the hard work of ordinary people?” Hussain said.
He described Mehdi’s planned resignation as a rebuke to the party, saying governance meant winning people’s trust and serving the public.
Hussain said Mehdi had demonstrated that holding office or power was not important to him, and that he placed greater value on people’s work and trust.
“For him, what matters is the people’s work, the people’s trust, and the betrayal of the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the National Conference. He has proven through his actions that the chair holds no value to him at all,” he said. (Agencies)
