Uproar in Assembly over disrespect of 1931 martyrs; BJP members walkout from House

Jammu: Pandemonium broke out in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday over BJP leader Sunil Sharma’s controversial remarks that the martyrs of July 13, 1931, were traitors.

Speaking during the discussion on the LG’s address, PDP MLA Waheed-ur-Rehman Para demanded the restoration of the Martyrs Day holiday. “The BJP cannot do justice until it restores the Martyrs Day holiday. They rendered sacrifices for democracy and India. It is due to their sacrifices that we have got this House,” Para said.

Para demanded that the House should resolve collectively to restore both holidays. “The disrespect to Sheikh Abdullah’s legacy was disrespect to every person carrying the Indian flag in J&K,” he said.

After Para concluded his speech, Sharma questioned the PDP and NC’s silence over civilian killings in Kashmir during their tenures. “When they (PDP) were in alliance with us in 2016-17, how many civilian killings took place? Why didn’t they shed tears for them? When Omar Abdullah was in power, 110 civilian killings took place. Why didn’t you shed tears then?” Sharma asked.

Sharma then stated that those killed on July 13, 1931, were traitors. “They were traitors; they were not martyrs,” he said, evoking protests from MLAs of the ruling alliance as well as from Kashmir-based opposition parties, including PDP and PC.

Amid the commotion in the House, NC and other parties resorted to massive sloganeering in favour of the martyrs of July 13, 1931. “These remarks should be expunged. It is their sacrifices you are here (Assembly). You would have been slaves and washing utensils of the Maharaja,” NC’s Nazir Gurezi shouted at BJP lawmakers.

CPI(M) MLA Muhammad Yosouf Tarigami said that these remarks are not acceptable and should be expunged. “When a derogatory, humiliating, and divisive remark is made, it should be withdrawn. If you don’t show that kind of decency, it should be expunged,” Congress MLA Nizamuddin Bhat said.

Amid continuous disruptions in the House, the Speaker announced that the remarks had been expunged from the records of the Assembly. All BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the House in protest against the Speaker’s decision.

After BJP MLAs walked out of the House, PC MLA Sajad Gani Lone asked MLAs to raise their hands to pass a suo-moto resolution for the declaration of both the days as holidays. The MLAs raised their hands in favour of declaring both the days as holidays—(KNO)