KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
Further adding to Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed’s embarrassment after skipping official Martyrs’ Day celebration, Bhartiya Janta Party, which is coalition partner in the state government, has said that the right wing saffron party was not aware about history of July 13 and that it was being observed as Martyrs’ Day.
“I don’t know anything about Martyrs’ Day or the official function held in the Srinagar to commemorate July 13 as Martyrs’ Day,” said senior BJP leader and Minister of PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control Sukhnandhan Kumar in Mufti’s cabinet.
Pertinently, J&K government has officially declared July 13 as Martyrs’ Day to recognise the sacrifices of 21 civilians who were killed by Dogra forces loyal to the erstwhile Maharaja of the J&K state outside city’s Central Jail in 1931.
And while Mufti Sayeed along with his cabinet colleagues from his party, Peoples’ Democratic Party, paid floral tributes to the 1931 martyrs, his cabinet colleagues from BJP skipped the official function at Martyrs Graveyard in downtown Srinagar.
“I was born in free India and have no knowledge about July 13 being observed as National Martyrs’ Day of Jammu and Kashmir,” Kumar said.
The minister, meanwhile, expressed full faith in leadership of Chief Minister and said there was no rift within the coalition partners. He added that BJP-PDP government will not only complete its full term but will also be in power for next six years also. “Under Mufti sahib’s leadership, the coalition government is undoubtedly doing well and there is better coordination between the two on governance front. We will successfully complete this term and people will elect us for the next term too,” he said.
The BJP leader said that the state government has started a new chapter of development for the state of Jammu and Kashmir by initiating some major policy capsules and added that there would be no problems of funds from New Delhi for realizing that dream.
Giving example of recently announced financial package for development of road infrastructure by Union Minister for Road Transport Nitin Gadkari, Sukhnandhan said there would be no shortage of funds from New Delhi as Union government under Narendra Modi was dfully committed to the overall development of J&K.
The minister said that the departments – PHE, Irrigation and Flood Control – under his control has no shortage of funds and added the development projects in these three departments will be carried out without any problem. (KNS)
