Srinagar, September 22: The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday witnessed a heated confrontation over the holiday calendar, with ruling National Conference (NC) members demanding restoration of holidays on the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and Martyrs’ Day, while BJP legislators protested remarks questioning the holiday on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday and later staged a walkout.
The uproar began after NC MLA Abdul Majid Larmi said the Government should either restore the holiday on Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary or withdraw the holiday declared on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birthday.
The remarks triggered strong protests from BJP members, who accused the ruling party of attempting to disrupt the proceedings.
“How can they talk about cancelling a holiday?” BJP MLA R.S. Pathania asked amid protests.
BJP legislators also raised slogans in support of Maharaja Hari Singh, with MLA Devyani Rana shouting, “Maharaja Hari Singh Amar Rahe.”
Amid the din, senior NC legislators Mubarak Gul and Shamima Firdous pressed for restoration of the holiday on Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary, while PDP MLA Waheed Para supported the demand and also sought restoration of the Martyrs’ Day holiday.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened repeatedly and warned the protesting BJP members against disrupting proceedings.
“The House has to run as per procedure. You cannot do this,” Rather said.
The BJP members subsequently staged a walkout from the House.
The confrontation followed demands by several NC legislators for restoration of the December 5 holiday marking Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary and the July 13 holiday observed as Martyrs’ Day before 2019.
Participating in the discussion, Mubarak Gul said the holidays represented the collective memory of J&K and should not be removed for political reasons.
“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,” Gul said.
NC members highlighted Sheikh Abdullah’s role in shaping modern J&K and cited reforms associated with his tenure, including the Land to Tiller programme, expansion of education and measures aimed at women’s empowerment.
Both July 13 and December 5 were removed from the official holiday calendar after August 2019, when the special constitutional status of J&K was ended and the erstwhile State was reorganised as a Union Territory.
The holiday on September 23, marking the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, was subsequently introduced in the J&K holiday calendar.
The NC has opposed the September 23 holiday, while seeking restoration of the two holidays removed in 2019. Its leaders have argued that Hari Singh’s rule should not be commemorated through an official holiday, while defending Sheikh Abdullah’s historical and political legacy.
The dispute over the holiday calendar thus turned into a broader confrontation in the House over competing interpretations of J&K’s political history, culminating in the BJP walkout.
