The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly descended into pandemonium on Tuesday, 22 September 2026, after a National Conference (NC) legislator demanded that the government either restore the holiday on Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah's birth anniversary or scrap the one declared on Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday — triggering a sharp response from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose members eventually staged a walkout from the House.

What Sparked the Uproar

NC MLA Abdul Majid Larmi set off the chain of events when he argued that the government must either reinstate the holiday on Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary (December 5) or withdraw the one observed on Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday (September 23). The remark landed like a spark in a powder keg, drawing immediate protests from BJP legislators who accused the ruling party of attempting to derail House proceedings.

'The ruling party is trying to disrupt proceedings. How can they talk about cancelling a holiday?' asked BJP MLA RS Pathania. Fellow BJP legislator Devyani Rana raised slogans in support of the Maharaja, repeatedly shouting, 'Maharaja Hari Singh Amar Rahe.'

NC and PDP Press for Holiday Restoration

NC MLAs Mubarak Gul and Shamima Firdous joined Larmi in vociferously demanding the restoration of Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary as a public holiday. People's Democratic Party (PDP) legislator Waheed Para also backed the demand, calling it legitimate, and additionally pressed for the revival of the Martyrs' Day holiday on July 13.

Both Martyrs' Day and Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary were removed from the official list of public holidays after 5 August 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into a Union Territory. In their place, Maharaja Hari Singh's birth anniversary was declared a public holiday in J&K following the reorganisation.

Speaker Steps In, BJP Walks Out

Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather admonished the protesting BJP members, warning that disruptions of this nature would not be tolerated. 'The House has to run as per procedure. You cannot do this,' Rather told the BJP legislators. Despite the warning, BJP MLAs proceeded to stage a walkout from the Assembly.

The Deeper Political Fault Line

The confrontation reflects a wider contest over the symbolic landscape of J&K politics that has intensified since the region's constitutional reorganisation in 2019. For the NC — which traces its lineage directly to Sheikh Abdullah — the removal of holidays associated with its founding figures carries deep political and emotional weight. For the BJP, any suggestion of reversing post-2019 changes touches on core electoral commitments made to its voter base, particularly in the Jammu region. The holiday dispute, in that sense, is a proxy for competing visions of J&K's identity and its political future under the current dispensation.

This is not the first time the Assembly has witnessed friction over the legacies of Maharaja Hari Singh and Sheikh Abdullah — two towering but contested figures in the region's modern history. The two leaders represent divergent narratives of accession, autonomy, and identity that continue to animate J&K's political discourse decades later.

What Happens Next

The ruling NC has not yet indicated any formal legislative move to restore the holidays, though members have flagged it repeatedly since the Assembly was constituted. A formal demand or private member resolution cannot be ruled out in subsequent sessions. The walkout is unlikely to be the last political flashpoint over this issue, with both sides showing little appetite for compromise.