PDP Calls for Restoration of July 13 Holiday in J&K Assembly; BJP Labels Them as 'Traitors'
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Synopsis
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly was the scene of heated debates as PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para pushed for the reinstatement of the July 31 holiday, previously known as 'Martyrs Day'. The BJP's Sunil Kumar Sharma countered this by labeling the martyrs as 'traitors', igniting protests from opposition members.
Key Takeaways
- July 31 holiday was previously observed as 'Martyrs Day'.
- Opposition MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para called for its restoration.
- BJP MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma opposed this, labeling martyrs as 'traitors'.
- Protests erupted from NC MLAs against Sharma's comments.
- Former Chief Minister Dr Farooq Abdullah attended the assembly session.
Jammu, March 5 (NationPress) A significant commotion arose in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Wednesday when opposition PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para advocated for the reinstatement of the July 31 holiday, previously recognized as ‘Martyrs Day’ in the former state. In response, the Leader of Opposition and BJP MLA Sunil Kumar Sharma asserted that those who lost their lives were ‘traitors’.
This holiday commemorated the Martyrs of July 13, 1931, who died during a shooting incident outside the Srinagar central jail under the rule of Maharaja Hari Singh.
During the debate on the motion of thanks regarding the Lt Governor’s address, Para insisted on restoring the July 13 ‘Martyrs Day holiday. Following his address, BJP leader Sunil Kumar Sharma opposed this request.
“They were not martyrs, but traitors,” Sharma claimed, sparking outrage from NC MLAs and members of other opposition parties from Kashmir.
The leaders called for the comments to be removed from the official records of the House.
“These statements were derogatory and divisive and should be either withdrawn or expunged,” insisted MLA Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat.
In the midst of ongoing slogan chanting between NC and BJP MLAs, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced that the remarks had been removed from the House records.
All BJP MLAs subsequently walked out of the House in protest against the removal of Sharma’s statements.
Later, Peoples Conference (PC) MLA Sajad Gani Lone urged the House to pass a resolution to restore holidays for Martyrs Day and the birthday of NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
It is noteworthy that after J&K came under direct Central rule, both July 13 and December 5 (the birthday of NC founder) were eliminated from the holiday list.
In their place, the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh, the last Dogra ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, was added to the holiday observances in the union territory.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and NC President Dr Farooq Abdullah made an appearance in the Assembly on Wednesday, sitting in the Speaker’s gallery with NC leaders Nasir Aslam Wani, Ajay Sadhotra, and Rattan Lal Gupta.
