Srinagar, Dec 30, ANB: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today commended the decision of the government to maintain status quo in the list of public holidays to be observed in the JK UT during 2025, issued by the General Administration Department.
Reacting sharply to the NC Spokesperson post on the X where he has termed the exclusion of these two holidays as “disregard to Kashmir’s history and democratic struggle”, Gupta said December 5 was never a state holiday between 1948-1981 and was declared as a holiday to celebrate the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah after his death in 1982 by his son and successor Dr Farooq Abdullah.
Anil Gupta, spokesperson of the J&K BJP, said that according to MY Taing, a noted Kashmiri historian and literary assistant of the Sheikh for writing the latter's autobiography Aatish-e-Chinar, December 5 is not the actual birth date of the Sheikh. Even Sheikh has not mentioned December 5 as his birthdate in his autobiography.
Gupta said the LG administration took a significant decision in 2019, the two controversial state holidays on July 13 and December 05 were deleted from the list of public holidays.
Gupta said after forming the government, Many NC leaders and legislators including the party’s general secretary had upped the ante making fervent appeals to the LG to declare December 5, 2024 as a public holiday but were ignored.
“It is also learnt that further pressure was exerted on the LG through submitting a cabinet proposal to the LG. The firm stand taken by the LG and ignoring the parochial demand is really praiseworthy,” Gupta said.
“What is the justification of December 5 as a state holiday when Sheikh himself does not acknowledge it as his birth date” exclaimed Brig Gupta!
He said nothing can be more controversial and divisive than celebrating July 13 as a state holiday with full government support.
“While it was celebrated as Martyrs Day in Kashmir, it was celebrated as a Black Day by the Hindus in Jammu including the Kashmiri Pandits to protest against plundering of their properties in Kashmir by members of the majority community and also endangering their dignity, honour and lives,” the BJP spokesperson said. (ANB)
