Opposition to Dec 05 holiday reflects BJP’s narrow-mindedness, communal outlook: Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan

Srinagar, 22 Sept: The Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Additional General Secretary and Rajya Sabha Member Choudhary Mohammad Ramzan Tuesday said that the discontinuation of the December 5 holiday commemorating the birth anniversary of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and attempts to obstruct the elected government’s efforts to restore the holiday, raise serious questions about respect for the democratic mandate and public sentiment.

He said the manner in which BJP legislators reacted to the proposal in the Assembly to restore the holiday on Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birth anniversary reflected their narrow-mindedness, communal outlook and hostility towards the National Conference.

Choudhary Ramzan said Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s stature and legacy do not depend on any official holiday. His historic struggle against subjugation, deprivation, poverty and economic backwardness in Jammu and Kashmir and his efforts to politically awaken and empower the people, remain deeply associated with the history of the region. The measures undertaken under his leadership concerning popular rights, land reforms and social justice constitute an important chapter of modern Jammu and Kashmir’s history.

He said the changes made to official holidays associated with July 13, Martyrs’ Day, and Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birth anniversary are viewed by the National Conference in the context of its historical legacy and the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the political rights of the people. He stressed that the martyrs of July 13, 1931, hold an important place in Jammu and Kashmir’s political history and that their sacrifices cannot simply be erased from public memory.

Choudhary Ramzan said the National Conference has, from the outset, expressed its concerns over the fundamental changes made to Jammu and Kashmir’s constitutional and administrative framework after August 5, 2019. He said the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special constitutional status and its reorganisation into two Union Territories raised profound questions among the people regarding their political, constitutional and democratic rights.

He said the people of Jammu and Kashmir have elected their representative government through the democratic process and the elected government should be provided 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, he said, the matter should not be subjected to unnecessary administrative hurdles.

He further said that decisions concerning the constitutional and democratic rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, which have been altered or restricted over the past several years, should be addressed through democratic processes, constitutional institutions and in accordance with the aspirations of the people.