A row broke out in the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday when NC members and BJP chaparaz heads from the other party belliguerent each other in the House to give each other public holidays honouring respective factional leaders Maharaja Hari Singh and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah.
The standoff started when NC lawmaker Abdul Majeed Larmi had called upon the government to revoke the public holiday being observed on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary or restore the one being celebrated on Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary. The demand straightaway sparked opposition from BJP legislators who argued for the existing holiday to the former Dogra ruler).
BJP members were raising slogans to support Maharaja Hari Singh and Devyani Rana (MLA) was among those raising slogans for “Maharaja Hari Singh Amar Rahe”. On the other hand, NC members urged the legislators in the State to restore the Holiday of Sheikh Abdullah and discussed his political role in the area of Jammu and Kashmir. The exchanges cast aspersions on the proceedings until Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened.
The 13th Martyrs’ Day, which was set aside by the PDP, also received the Party’s backing. earlier the date was observed as public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir state; but effective from the change in administrative status of the region in 2019 it was not included in the official holiday calendar.
The holiday calendar has been altered since the repeal of Article 370 on the announcement of August 2019.Since August 2019, when Article 370 was repealed, the holiday calendar has been changed. Parliament had withdrawn the facilities granted for the Sheik Abdullah’s birth anniversary and also facilities withdrawn for 13th Sept and later on had declared 23rd Sept Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary as public holiday. The signing of Instrument of Accession on 26 October 1947 is also on the list of the days in the holiday calendar.
The Assembly cannot declare holidays or cancel government holidays but can endorse members’ decisions according to parliamentary procedures, Speaker Rather said. But it had not taken more than another hour for the mess to go sour, and the MPs in the BJP then walked out of the House due to the disturbance.
The skirmish between the two camps comes at a time when there are differing views on Sheikh Abdullah, Maharaja Hari Singh and July 13 Martyrs’ Day among the various political quarters in Jammu and Kashmir.