Srinagar, September 22, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Tuesday over demands to restore holidays linked to Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and the July 13 Martyrs’ Day, with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators eventually staging a walkout.
The uproar began after National Conference (NC) MLA Abdul Majid Larmi raised the issue of the holiday observed on September 23 to mark the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh. Larmi said the government should either restore the holiday on Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary or reconsider the holiday for Maharaja Hari Singh.
The remarks drew strong objections from BJP lawmakers. BJP MLA R.S. Pathania questioned how the House could discuss cancelling the holiday, while Devyani Rana raised slogans in support of Maharaja Hari Singh.
Amid the din, NC legislators Mubarak Gul and Shamima Firdous pressed for restoration of the holiday marking Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary. PDP MLA Waheed Para supported the demand and also called for restoration of the July 13 Martyrs’ Day holiday.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather intervened and cautioned members against disrupting proceedings, saying the House had to function according to procedure. Other reports also said Rather clarified that the Speaker was not the authority responsible for granting or withdrawing government holidays.
The BJP legislators subsequently walked out of the House.
The holiday on Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary falls on September 23 and is also listed in the Assembly’s provisional calendar, resulting in no sitting of the House that day.
The demands for restoration of the Sheikh Abdullah birth anniversary holiday and July 13 Martyrs’ Day holiday relate to holidays that were removed from the J&K government’s holiday calendar after the 2019 changes following the abrogation of Article 370.
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