Sheikh Abdullah at a prayer meeting in Srinagar’s Gandhi Park in 1949 Photo: Getty Images Sheikh Abdullah at a prayer meeting in Srinagar’s Gandhi Park in 1949 Photo: Getty Images

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) stated that all 39 departments, except the Home Department, are with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s government, the J & K administration issued a list of holidays for 2025 excluding Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday and July 13, Martyrs’ Day, from the list.

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“Today’s list of holidays and the decision reflects the BJP’s disregard for Kashmir’s history and democratic struggle. While we had hoped for the inclusion of holidays commemorating leaders like Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and the martyrs of July 13, their absence does not diminish their significance or our legacy. These holidays will be restored one day,” the National Conference leader and the party’s chief spokesman, Tanvir Sadiq, said.

M Y Tarigami, CPI(M) central committee member and member of J&K legislative assembly from Kulgam constitutency, said that it is very unfortunate that July 13 & December 5 have been dropped from the list of holidays for 2025 calendar year.

"July 13 holds immense historical significance for J & K, as it commemorates the sacrifice of those who laid down their lives protesting against autocratic rule and advocating for human dignity. Similarly, December 5, Sheikh Sahab's birthday, is a day of great importance.

Sheikh Sahab and his colleagues made great contributions toward empoweringpeople by democratizing society, implementing radical land reforms introducing free education and empowering womenas part of the Naya Kashmir manifesto. Attempts made to erase such pivotal milestones from our collective memory undermines the values they represent. Distorting the history in this way will serve no purpose," Tarigami said on X.

Earlier, the BJP said that only home is not with the Omar Abdullah government. “The rest of the departments-39 in total, from agriculture to civil aviation and industries-are under their (Omar Abdullah’s) control. Their priority seems to be politics, not administration,” the party leader Arun Gupta said.

Gupta stated that Omar Abdullah’s government’s priority is the restoration of statehood. “We all want statehood, but it doesn’t mean that you will not deliver until it is restored when all departments except one are with you,” the BJP said. “We brought Jammu and Kashmir out of a tempest. If they (Omar Abdullah government) are unable to govern effectively, they should step down.” He said the government should focus on administration. He said while the demand for statehood is valid, until it is achieved, they must work efficiently.

However, on Sunday, when the J&K government announced its official holiday list for 2025, excluding Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah’s birthday and July 13, Martyrs’ Day, the National Conference said it gives an indication that there are dual power centers in J&K.

“We were hopeful that they would announce the holidays according to the popular government’s list. It is unfortunate they didn’t take history and legacy into consideration while announcing holidays,” Sadiq said.

The Omar-led government had submitted the proposal of reinstating the December 5 holiday to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last month.

Sheikh Abdullah, popularly known as Sher-e-Kashmir, was born on December 5, 1905. His birth anniversary was observed as a state holiday in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir before abrogation of Article 370. Another significant day, July 13, was marked as Martyrs' Day, was also a state holiday in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Martyrs' Day commemorated the 1931 uprising against Dogra rule, during which the Maharaja's forces fired on protestors, killing many. After the end of Dogra rule, July 13 was officially declared a state holiday to honor the memory of those who lost their lives in the rebellion.

On December 4 this year, after the winning elections, the National Conference had called for restoring December 5 as a holiday to honour the party’s founder.

While the holiday calendar honors the last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh, the absence of National Conference founder Sheikh Abdullah’s Birthday and Martyrs’ Day remains a major issue for the National Conference. The National Conference had promised to restore these holidays, which were previously removed by the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.

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Sadiq said that under the Union Territory framework, a lot of decisions fall under the domain of the LG administration as they need his approval. “We are hopeful that the Lieutenant Governor’s administration will not create roadblocks and hurdles for the government’s pro-people initiatives. That is why we want early restoration of statehoodmanaloplay,” Sadiq said.