Srinagar, Sept 22 (IANS): Many legislators of the ruling National Conference party on Tuesday demanded restoration of holiday on the birth anniversary of NC founder, late Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah during the ongoing Legislative Assembly session.
Before 2019, the erstwhile state of J&K observed a holiday on the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, on December 5.
NC members raised the issue in the assembly today, stating that late Sheikh Abdullah’s contribution in shaping modern Jammu and Kashmir cannot be ignored.
Members said his historic reforms including Land to Tiller, free education up to University level and empowerment of women laid the foundation of a progressive J&K.
They said both the holidays, July 13 Martyrs Day and December 5, the birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah were removed from the official holiday calendar after abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.
Participating in the discussion, senior NC leader and MLA Eidgah Mubarak Gul said that NC remained in power for many years but never altered any holiday or any important day.
“We remained in power for decades, but we never removed any holiday. We never played with history. If BJP or any other party’s leader had a holiday, we never removed it. Holidays represent collective memory,” Mubarak Gul said.
He said restoring the December 5 holiday would be a tribute to Sheikh Abdullah’s contribution to the people of J&K.
After abrogation of Article 370, holidays observed on July 13, called the Martyrs Day and December 5, birth anniversary date of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah, were abolished. Instead, since 2019, the Union Territory started observing September 23, the birth anniversary of late Maharaja Hari Singh as a public holiday.
The NC has also been opposing the observing of holiday on September 23 on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh saying that the late Maharaja was a despot and after independence from his rule, J&K shouldn’t observe a holiday to remember a King, who ruled without the people’s mandate.
