Differences within the ruling National Conference (NC) came to the fore again on Friday as Member of Parliament Aga Syed Ruhullah and senior party leader and Minister Sakina Itoo took divergent positions on the reservation issue in Jammu and Kashmir.
Mr. Ruhullah warned of a street protest in the coming days, saying he would stand with open merit aspirants if their concerns were not addressed. In a post on social media platform X, the MP said he would sit in protest at the same location where he had demonstrated last year, outside the Chief Minister’s office, to press for action.
“I have neither forgotten nor left the students alone. I urge the government once again to talk to the students and apprise them of the measures and decisions taken to resolve this issue. If that does not happen till Saturday, I will not leave our youth and students helpless,” Mr. Ruhullah said.
Reacting to his remarks, J&K Minister Sakina Itoo said, “Some people are misleading the youth and students on the reservation issue and unnecessarily calling shots on the government.”
Ms. Itoo added that the government had already completed its role in the matter and that the Council of Ministers had approved changes related to reservation and forwarded them to the Lieutenant Governor for approval. “If these few people need to protest, they should protest before the L-G’s office rather than indulge in unnecessary criticism of the government. Ironically, they feel it is inconvenient to protest before the L-G’s office,” she said.
