Srinagar, Dec 30: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has appreciated the government’s decision to maintain the status quo in the public holiday list for Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory (UT) for the year 2025, as announced by the General Administration Department.
This decision follows a ruling by the LG Administration on December 28, 2019, which removed the controversial holidays of July 13 and December 5 from the public holiday list starting in 2020.
This policy has remained unchanged ever since. The restoration of these holidays was also included in the National Conference’s election manifesto, along with several other commitments. Following the establishment of the NC government, numerous leaders and legislators from the party, including the general secretary, made fervent appeals to the LG to reinstate December 5 as a public holiday for 2024, but these requests were ignored.
“Reports indicate that additional pressure was placed on the LG through a cabinet proposal. The firm stance taken by the LG in disregarding these parochial demands is truly commendable,” BJP spokesperson Brigadier Anil Gupta said in a statement issued here.
Gupta said both holidays have been mired in controversy and were imposed on the people of Jammu and Kashmir by the National Conference. “December 5 was never recognised as a state holiday between 1948 and 1981. It was declared a holiday in honour of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday after his death in 1982, under the leadership of his son and successor, Dr Farooq Abdullah,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson said, “There is even debate over the actual birth date of the Sheikh; Kashmiri historian MY Taing, who served as a literary assistant to the Sheikh, noted that December 5 is not acknowledged as the Sheikh’s birthday in his autobiography. What justification can there be for declaring December 5 a state holiday when the Sheikh himself does not recognize it as his birth date?”
Gupta criticised the celebration of July 13 as a state holiday, saying it is “highly controversial” and “divisive”. “While it is recognized as Martyrs’ Day in Kashmir, it is viewed as a Black Day by many Hindus in Jammu, including Kashmiri Pandits, who protest against the violence and property destruction they faced in Kashmir. Historically, the events of that day have divided communities along regional, religious and ideological lines, a divide that has persisted and widened due to the narrow-focused attitudes of Kashmir-based political parties,” he said.
Responding to comments made by NC spokesperson on X, who labeled the exclusion of these two holidays as a “disregard for Kashmir’s history and democratic struggle”, Brig Gupta reminded the National Conference that the region encompasses Jammu and Kashmir, not just Kashmir. “Raj Dharma demands that the government be just and fair to the sentiments and aspirations of both regions. The people of Jammu cannot be neglected any longer, even if the government holds a brute majority,” he said.
The BJP spokesperson urged the NC to “move away from politics of exclusivity” and “embrace inclusivity”, giving equal respect and acknowledgment to Dogra heritage and sentiments. “Mere cosmetic statements are no longer sufficient,” he said. Gupta sought an apology to the Kashmiri Pandits for past atrocities. Instead of reopening old wounds, he advised the NC to focus on ensuring the honourable and safe return of Kashmiri Hindus to their homeland.
