SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Additional General Secretary and Rajya Sabha member Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan on Tuesday criticised BJP legislators for opposing the proposal to restore the December 5 holiday marking the birth anniversary of former J&K prime minister Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
Ramzan said the opposition to the proposed holiday and attempts to prevent the elected government from restoring it raised questions about respect for the democratic mandate and public sentiment in Jammu and Kashmir.
He alleged that the reaction of BJP legislators to the proposal in the Assembly reflected their “narrow-mindedness” and “communal outlook”, as well as hostility towards the National Conference.
Ramzan said Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s legacy did not depend on an official holiday, arguing that his role in the political and social history of Jammu and Kashmir remained significant.
He referred to Abdullah’s political struggle against what he described as subjugation, deprivation, poverty and economic backwardness, besides his efforts to mobilise and politically empower people. He also cited land reforms, popular rights and social justice measures undertaken during Abdullah’s leadership as important aspects of J&K’s modern history.
The NC leader also criticised changes to official holidays associated with July 13, observed as Martyrs’ Day, and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birth anniversary.
He said the sacrifices of those killed on July 13, 1931, had an important place in Jammu and Kashmir’s political history and could not be erased from public memory.
Ramzan said the National Conference had consistently opposed what it described as fundamental changes to Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and administrative framework following August 5, 2019.
He said the abrogation of J&K’s special constitutional status and its reorganisation into two Union Territories had raised questions among people about their political, constitutional and democratic rights.
The NC leader said the people of Jammu and Kashmir had elected a representative government through the democratic process and that it should be given adequate constitutional and administrative space to implement its decisions and fulfil public expectations.
“If an elected government decides to restore a holiday associated with the birth anniversary of a historic personality, the matter should not be subjected to unnecessary administrative hurdles,” he said.
Ramzan further said issues concerning the constitutional and democratic rights of the people should be addressed through democratic processes and constitutional institutions, while taking into account the aspirations of the people.
