Farooq Tantary CNI
JAMMU, cni: Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister, Kavinder Gupta today came down heavily on the National Conference (NC) for promising to restore the July 13 holiday, calling it a dangerous attempt to revive a divisive and outdated separatist narrative that has no place in New Jammu & Kashmir.Responding to
NC chief spokesperson’s statement that the holiday on July 13 would “definitely return”, Kavinder said that such political posturing reveals the NC’s continued obsession with glorifying anti-national elements under the garb of
martyrdom.”The so-called ‘martyrs’ of July 13 were not national heroes—they were individuals who rebelled against the lawful authority of the then state and sowed seeds of religious discord. By insisting on restoring the holiday, NC is yet
again pandering to separatist sentiments and polarizing the people for political gains,” Kavinder said after participating in a meeting held here at Party headquarters in Jammu.The senior BJP leader said the decision by the government to remove July 13 from the official holiday list post-Article 370 abrogation was a step in the right
direction to free Jammu & Kashmir from the clutches of separatist glorification and identity politics that had kept the region hostage for decades.He said, “The NC’s promise to reinstate the holiday only exposes their desperation to stay relevant by raking up emotional and
controversial issues. This is nothing but political opportunism at the cost of national unity and peace in the Union Territory.”Kavinder said the people of Jammu & Kashmir are now focused on development, peace, and integration with the rest of India and will no longer fall for outdated narratives. “The UT has moved on.
Political parties like NC must also evolve rather than clinging to colonial-era grievances and religious rhetoric,” he said.He urged all nationalist citizens and political stakeholders to reject this regressive mindset and uphold the spirit of One Nation, One Constitution. Cni