Mehbooba Mufti attacks Omar Abdullah over public holiday on July 13, 'This is too pretentious...':

News Topical, Digital Desk : The National Conference (NC) government led by Omar Abdullah in Jammu and Kashmir has formally proposed to the LG to restore public holidays on 13 July and 5 December. 13 July is Martyrdom Day. 5 December is the birthday of the late Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah, founder of the National Conference. However, this proposal of the government has not yet been approved. On the other hand, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti has said that this effort of the Omar Abdullah government is a sham.

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti wrote on the social media platform X, "The proposal sent by the Omar Abdullah government to the Lieutenant Governor to declare 13 July and 5 December as public holidays would have been effective even if the Speaker had supported the same proposal of the PDP in the Assembly."

'The rejection of the PDP's proposal was disappointing'

He further said, "The complete rejection of the proposal by the Speaker was unexpected and disappointing. Today's exercise seems more like a show than a serious effort."

NC had promised about 13th July in its manifesto

During the 2024 assembly elections, the National Conference had promised to restore July 13 as an official holiday. The party had also mentioned this in its election manifesto. The party had also promised to restore the holiday on December 5, the birth anniversary of the party's founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah. Now after the formation of the National Conference government in the Union Territory, the opposition is busy cornering CM Omar Abdullah over that promise.

It is worth noting that on 13 July 1931, 22 protesters were killed in firing by jail guards during a protest in Srinagar. After independence in 1947, the Jammu and Kashmir government started celebrating this day as Martyrs' Day. Both holidays were abolished after Article 370 was repealed in 2019.