WAJAHAT SHABIR
SRINAGAR: The omission of holidays on December 5 and July 13 in the recently released 2025 government holiday calendar has sparked a heated political debate, with BJP and PDP expressing divergent opinions on the matter.
On the other hand, the National Conference continued to remain on its stand of making it a public holiday.
Earlier on Wednesday, BJP states spokesperson Altaf Thakur took a dig at Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and its government for failing to deliver its promises made during the elections. Thakur said, “Omar-led government is doing nothing on the ground but making statements on paper, which is the actual reality that is happening in the past two months”.
He further said that the government has been unable to clear the snow from the road and provide an uninterrupted power supply.
Asked about 5th December not being on the holiday list, Thakur said J&K will go on vacation if the government announces a holiday on every CM’s birth or death anniversary.
“Sheikh Abdullah Sahib has been the CM of J&K, Mufti Sahib was also CM, Mir Qasim Sahib was also the PM, and Sadiq Sahib has been the PM. If Sheikh Abdullah Sahib’s birthday is observed as a holiday, why not other CMS,” he said.
He said announcing a holiday on the death and birth anniversary of CMs will disturb the country’s economy. “The academic calendar will also be disturbed. BJP welcomes the J&K LG decision to exclude December 5 from the list of holidays,” Altaf Thakur said.
On the other hand, PDP General Secretary Khurshid Alam said that the government has failed to deliver its promise to announce holidays on the 13th of July and 5th of December.
It was a matter of great concern that two important days of Jammu and Kashmir have been excluded in the calendar of holidays, he said.
“December 5, which is observed as the birth anniversary, and most importantly, July 13, which is associated with the hearts and emotions of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, have been excluded,” the PDP leader said.
“In any nation or in any state of India, if anyone was martyred in the freedom movement, the sacrifice is respected there. The martyrs of July 13 were fighting against autocracy, which was also a part of the struggle for freedom in India. But unfortunately, they were shown disrespect without any reason,” he said.
He said the National Conference betrayed the sentiment of the people and made no efforts to include these two days in the list of holidays despite having a “big mandate.”
“The government was expected to correct the mistakes of the past five years but it failed to deliver on ground. These are not financial matters, these are emotional matters. The history of any nation is a matter of pride,” Khurhid Alam said.
Reacting to the NC’s statement that December 5 will be included as a holiday from the next year, PDP leader said martyrs of July 13 were equally important. “We welcome the NC statement on holiday for Sheikh Sahib but the importance of the martyrs of July 13 is no less than anything else,” he said.
Talking to The News Now MLA Zadibal Tanvir Sadiq said if they can announce holiday on the birth anniversary of Maharaja Singh then why not on 5th December.
Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Muhammad Adbullah was not only CM, he was the most respected statesman of this state. You cannot keep him just as the Chief Minister. He has been the Prime Minister of this Country. He took the revolutionary decision of Land to Tiller. He contributed to schools and colleges. Sher-i-Kashmir does not need a holiday but the feelings of the people here are attached to it. We want to keep it like it used to be before,” Tanvir Sadiq said.
He flanked advisor to J&K CM Nasir Aslam Wani and said the next 5th of December will be the holiday of Sher-e-Kashmir. “The holiday on 13th of July will definitely happen as well,” he said.
He further said the NC government will fulfill all the promises that have been made to the people of J&K.
“We pray to Allah that he gives us the courage to fulfill the promises we have made to the people. It has only been two months since the government has started working. By March, all the commitments and promises made by the government will be fulfilled including free 200 units of electricity,” he said.
