Politics

Devious game plan: NC observed Dec 5 as a Day of Sorrow, Dogra Jammu-bashing

Separating Jammu from Kashmir and making Kashmir a permanent UT like Chandigarh is essential for national stability

December 9, 2024

NC pays tributes to party founder Sheikh Abdullah on birth anniversary

December 5 was the 119th birth anniversary of Sheikh Abdullah, father and founder of the subversive National Conference (NC). The NC leaders observed the day as a day of mourning and Dogra Jammu-bashing. They also used the opportunity to accuse the Narendra Modi government of not allowing the Omar Abdullah-led NC government to exercise the powers the states in the country exercise and indicate what the ruling party actually stood for. The Modi government had read down seditious Article 370, abrogated discriminatory Article 35-A, divided the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State into Union Territory of J&K and Union Territory of Ladakh and brought Kashmiri Muslim leaders of all varieties to the nation’s knees on August 5, 2019.

Day of Sorrow

The NC observed December 5 as a Day of Sorrow because the Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha’s administration had 2020 dropped the Sheikh’s birth anniversary (and July 13) from the official calendar of holidays for J&K and because the LG office didn’t respond to the Omar Abdullah government’s proposal with regard to the public holiday on December 5.

A report in The Hindu (Dec 4, 2024) in this regard read like this: “J&K’s ruling party, the NC, on Wednesday (Dec 4, 2024) pitched for declaring the birth anniversary of the party founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah as a public holiday, which falls on December 5[1]. However, the recently-elected government of the NC and the Raj Bhawan are not on the same page on the issue.”

The report in the Kashmir Observer (Dec 6) in this regard, inter-alia, said: “Advisor to Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani said that the Council of Ministers has sent a proposal with regard to the holiday on December 5, marking the birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohd Abdullah[2]. The holiday on this day (Dec 5) was cancelled, but a proposal has been sent to LG again by the Council of Ministers, and hopefully, from the next year, the holiday will be observed on this day…”

That the NC leaders observed December 5 as a Day of Sorrow could be seen from what MLA and former Judge of J&K High Court Hasnain Masoodi, NC general secretary, MLA, and former minister Ali Mohammad Sagar, and NC provincial president Showkat Ahmad Mir said.

Describing December 5 as a “significant day tied to the region’s identity and self-respect,” Masoodi, inter-alia, said: “This day holds importance for us, and the way to respect it is by honouring the sentiments of the people…July 13 and September 8 are important historical days…(There must be) meaningful steps to honour these dates in the future…Respecting public sentiment should translate into concrete action…”

On July 13, 1931, radical Islamists in Kashmir raised a banner of revolt against the Dogra Maharaja, Hari Singh; attacked the symbols of the State, including the Central Jail; let loose a reign of senseless brutalities on the peaceful and innocent Kashmiri Hindus; and burned down many Hindu houses and their business establishments in the Valley. The situation was such that the State forces had to act to maintain law and order and save the lives and dignity of Kashmiri Hindus, including their women. In the process, a few radical Islamists lost their lives. The Kashmiri Muslim leaders of all hues observe July 13 as “Martyr’s Day”. The internally displaced Kashmiri Hindus and the Hindus of Jammu observe July 13 as a “Black Day”. And it was on September 8, 1982, that Sheikh Abdullah had died.

Urging Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to include the Sheikh’s birth anniversary in the official calendar of holidays, Ali Mohd Sagar, among other things, said: “Sher-e-Kashmir (Sheikh Abdullah) was a bulwark against the tides of despair, championing the cause of dignity, democratic rights, and social justice for the people. His sacrifices and tireless efforts brought an end to despotic rule and paved the way for a prosperous future…The party founder remains the guiding light for the people of J&K. Undermining his contributions is akin to denying the sun’s rays that illuminate even the darkest of days. Those who once opposed Sheikh Abdullah’s legacy have now been silenced by the enduring admiration of the masses.”

Like Sagar, Showkat Ahmad Mir also urged the Omar Abdullah government to reinstate December 5 as a public holiday and denounced the decision to cancel the holiday. He also, among other things, said: “After August 5, 2019, several decisions were made that undermined the sentiments of the people, including the cancellation of the December 5 holiday and Martyr’s Day on July 13, which commemorated those who sacrificed their lives for the people of J&K.”

And Omar Abdullah said: “There are many other dates as well, but we have to fight a bigger contest. We have to fight for the restoration of J&K’s statehood. We are hopeful that the Prime Minister will keep his promise made not to us, but to the people of J&K during the Lok Sabha elections and the Assembly polls that followed.”

September 23, October 26 as State holidays

It needs to be noted that while the LG Administration dropped the Sheikh’s birth anniversary and the so-called Martyr’s Day from the official calendar of holidays and declared October 26 as a State Holiday in 2020, it declared September 23 as a State Holiday on September 16, 2022. September 23 is the birthday of Maharaja Hari Singh. And, it was on October 26, 1947, that Maharaja Hari Singh exercised the power vested in him by the Indian Independence Act, 1947, and integrated J&K into the Indian Dominion like other Rajas and Maharajas had integrated their princely States into the then Indian Dominion.

Day of Dogra Jammu-bashing

The NC leaders did not just observe December 5 as a Day of Sorrow. They also observed December 5 as a day of Dogra Jammu-bashing. Nasir Aslam Wani, Hasnain Masoodi, Minister of Education and Social Welfare, Sakina Itoo, and Ali Mohammad Sagar all used the opportunity to attack and paint the Dogra Maharajas black and oppressors.

Highlighting what he called the “significant contributions of Sher-e-Kashmir in liberating the people of Jammu and Kashmir (read Kashmir and Muslims in Kashmir) from oppressive rule,” Wani, inter-alia, said: “It is our collective responsibility to remember those who shaped our history and gave us the strength to speak and achieve milestones. Sher-e-Kashmir’s efforts stand out as he played a pivotal role in granting us freedom and dignity…The region faced challenges during the era of autocracy…The era was marked by widespread hardship and tyranny…Sheikh’s leadership helped us break free from that oppression…”

Hasnain Masoodi said, “Sheikh Abdullah brought social justice and ended oppressive rule in J&K” (read Kashmir). “Under his leadership, we defeated tyranny,” he also said.

Sakina Itoo described Sheikh Abdullah as a “towering personality with influence across the subcontinent” and said: “He liberated the people of Jammu and Kashmir (read Kashmiri Muslims) from mental subjugation and instilled dignity in them…”

Sagar, among other things, said: “His (Sheikh’s) sacrifices and tireless efforts brought an end to despotic rule…”

Omar’s calm suggestion part of devious strategy

However, it was NC vice-president and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who wittingly and unwittingly revealed his devious game plan. On December 7, while addressing party workers in Srinagar, he asked party leaders and legislators to wait for a few months until statehood was restored to J&K after they expressed frustration in the provincial meeting of the party works over the lack of powers to the Omar-led govt. In fact, he urged them “not to take any step which will lead to confrontation between his government and the LG Administration and cause a delay in the restoration of statehood.” He told them that he hoped that “the Centre would restore statehood to J&K by March.”

Time for PM to note and act

Now that Omar Abdullah and his colleagues in the party and government have said what they said, it is time for the Narendra Modi government to take cognizance of what the NC is up to and why they are waiting for the restoration of statehood to J&K. Their message was loud and clear. Their message was that the NC government would start playing dangerous and unsettling games once the UT is granted full state status. Hence, the nation’s need and the exigency of the time is to separate Jammu from Kashmir and convert Kashmir into a Chandigarh-type UT permanently. There is no other alternative available.

Note:
1. Text in Blue points to additional data on the topic.
2. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of PGurus.

Reference:

[1] NC for reinstating public holiday on founder Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary in J&K – Dec 04, 2024, The Hindu

[2] NC Govt Sends Proposal To Reinstate Dec 5 As Holiday To LG – Dec 05, 2024, Kashmir Observer

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