Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 13: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta today said that July 13 has no relevance for the country because those who were killed in the conflict were supporters of ‘separatist’ ideology and there is no point in standing in support or commemorating those who sowed the seeds of separatism in J&K.
In a statement issued to media persons, Kavinder slammed both Omar and Mehbooba for acting against the very ethos of the country because they are trying to make heroes out of those who were actually the enemies of the people supporting the cause of one nation.
The senior BJP leader said that the Government has cleared its stance over the issue after ending the celebrations and holiday on this day in the Union Territory and those who are still observing this day are showing their tilt of mind towards separatism, which is unacceptable and needs to be condemned by all the nationalist citizens of the Party.
It is pertinent to mention that July 13 used to be a public holiday in the erstwhile state of J&K and a grand official function was held every year on this day where the Chief Minister or the Governor would be the chief guest. For the fourth consecutive year, no function was held to commemorate the ‘Martyrs Day’ in Kashmir to pay homage to 22 Kashmiri people who were killed by the army of a Dogra ruler on this day in 1931.
Kavinder said that India cannot allow people to mark such occasions in the memory of those who attacked the then Government of Maharaja, because those culprits were attackers and not the martyrs. He said that it was sad that successive governments in J&K used to commemorate the killing of those attackers as an official function and a public holiday was also in place but now after the Article 370 has been abolished.
The former Deputy CM termed the restrictions on allowing the commemoration function of the 13 July 1931 incident right and fully justified.
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