National Conference (NC) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) from Srinagar, Aga Syed Ruhullah ignited a political storm on Tuesday by quoting Malcolm X’s famous analogy of the “House Negro and Field Negro” on X (formerly Twitter). The post, widely seen as a response to criticisms from within and outside his party, points out the growing divisions in National Conference.
Ruhullah has been under fire following a protest outside former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s residence, where MP, along with students and other political rivals—including MLA Pulwama and PDP leader Waheed Parra, Iltija Mufti of PDP, and Sheikh Khursheed of AIP, who is also MLA Langate and other social and political activists—led the protests against the J&K reservation policy and demanded its rationalisation as per the population.
Hundreds of students joined the demonstration. Following the protest, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah invited a five-member delegation of students into the CM’s office to discuss their issues. Omar assured them that the subcommittee formed would submit its recommendations within a time-bound period of six months. Satisfied with the assurance, the students and politicians dispersed peacefully and called off the protest. Ruhullah’s leadership during the demonstration was publicly criticized by NC MLA Salman Ali Sagar from Hazratbal, who accused Ruhullah of providing adversarial parties with a platform to undermine the government.
Adding fuel to the controversy, leaders from rival factions, including Apni Party’s Altaf Bukhari and Congress veteran Ghulam Ahmad Mir, also lashed out at Ruhullah, accusing him of staging ‘theatrics and drama’.
The protest, which aimed to highlight the challenges faced by Kashmiri residents under the current administration, had drawn attention when Omar Abdullah responded with lines from Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If.” Omar’s message emphasized composure and resilience in the face of blame and criticism, signalling an apparent attempt to downplay the tensions.
However, Ruhullah’s Malcolm X reference took a more confrontational tone. By aligning himself with the “field Negro,” Malcolm X’s metaphor for those resisting oppression, Ruhullah drew a clear line between himself and what he implied were “house Negroes”—a term historically associated with those complicit in maintaining oppressive systems.
Political observers have noted the potency of Ruhullah’s rhetoric in challenging both internal and external critics. “He is positioning himself as a voice of the oppressed, refusing to back down despite mounting pressure,” one analyst said.
Ruhullah’s post has sparked intense debates across the political spectrum, with some viewing it as a call for reform within the NC and others as a divisive tactic that risks alienating party members. Meanwhile, as of now National Conference has refrained from commenting on Ruhullah’s latest remarks.
