Srinagar, Aug. 31 -- By Haider Abbas

The rumblings between National Conference MP from Srinagar Agha Syed Ruhullah and Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, which had been going on for quite some time, have finally reached the party patriarch, Farooq Abdullah. He has asked Ruhullah to seek a mandate for himself.

This means that if Ruhullah wants to survive independently, he would have to resign from the party and seek re-election.

Ruhullah has issued a public statement saying that he is willing to resign on November 3, the anniversary of his father's martyrdom. His father was killed in a landmine blast in 2000.

This development could be a pre-Diwali gift for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party at the Centre. The BJP had made no ...