Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Nov 29: After failure of Jammu champions to get Hari Singh's birthday declared a holiday, the Jammu people have now pinned hopes on the Governor Satyapal Malik. The BJP has been demanding a holiday on the birth anniversary of late Dogra ruler of the state, Maharaja Hari Singh, which falls on September 23. However, during their three year regime, they failed to get it done. The government, it has been reliably learnt is in the process of making a list of holidays for 2019. And, the Jammu people expect the Governor to include Hari Singh's birthday in the list. Pertinent to mention, the state observes July 13 as a holiday. On this day in 1931, 22 people got killed outside Srinagar Central Jail. The holiday is observed in their memory. Informed sources said that 25 holidays were or would be observed during 2018 in Jammu and Kashmir under the Negotiable Instruments Act. The list also includes holiday on December 5, birth anniversary of Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and on July 13, the martyr's day. The ruling BJP has been demanding scrapping of these holidays. In the previous list, there was no mention of September 23, the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh. Earlier, Vikramaditya Singh, grandson of Hari Singh, resigned from the PDP for not declaring holiday on his grandfather's birth anniversary. A BJP leader said that party workers have been pressuring the ruling party to pressurize the Governor administration to declare the holiday on birth anniversary of Hari Singh. "There is anger against the party leaders in Jammu region for failing to declare holiday on the birth anniversary of late Dogra ruler of the state, Maharaja Hari Singh. There is also resentment against the BJP in Jammu region for failing to raise at least these three issues when they were in power," the BJP leader said. |