The Legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed uproarious scenes over remarks made by Leader of the Opposition (LOP) and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma, who called the July 13 martyrs as “traitors.”
During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the Lieutenant Governor’s address, Peoples Democratic Party leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra, demanded the restoration of the July 13 Martyrs Day holiday.
As Parra concluded his speech, Leader of Opposition Sunil Sharma stood up and objected to his demand.
“They were not martyrs but traitors,” Sharma said, evoking widespread protests from the Treasury benches as well as from Kashmir-based opposition parties. The leaders demanded that the remarks be expunged from the records of the House.
“These remarks were humiliating and divisive and should be withdrawn or expunged from the records,” demanded MLA Bandipora Nizamuddin Bhat.
CPI(M) member M Y Tarigami and other legislators from Kashmir joined the chorus and demanded expunging of the remarks against the 1931 “martyrs” and an apology from the Leader of the Opposition.
Amid continuous slogan shouting between the Treasury Benches and BJP, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced that the remarks had been expunged from the records of the House.
All the BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the House in protest against the expunging of Sharma’s remarks.
Later, Peoples Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone demanded that the House pass a resolution for the restoration of holidays on Martyrs Day and on the birthday of NC founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
Talking to reporters outside the assembly, Para urged the government to reinstate July 13 and Dec 5 as state holidays, emphasizing their significance in Jammu and Kashmir’s democratic history.
“Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a popular government after a long spell, with a significant voter turnout. When discussing budget and vision, it is crucial to recognize the facts about those martyred in the process of saving democracy, be it Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah or those who gave their lives on July 13 while fighting against monarchy and for democracy,” he said.
“We should rise above the political affiliations and come together to pass a resolution declaring these two significant days as state holidays,” he said
When questioned about opposition from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on the matter, Parra accused BJP of viewing the issue through a religious and regional lens. “The BJP perceives this through the prism of religion, Muslims, and Kashmir. However, this is not about any particular community. It is a day to celebrate democracy and should be respected as such, as it has been for the past 70 years,” he said.
July 13 was observed as a public holiday in Jammu and Kashmir to commemorate the 22 men who fell to the bullets of Dogra Maharaja’s soldiers outside Srinagar central jail in 1931.
The July 13 holiday along with the December 5 holiday in connection with birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah were, however, scrapped by the Lt Governor Administration post 2019 following abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two Union Territories.