J&K BJP to mark 5th anniversary of abrogating Article 370, Opposition to protest
Security has been beefed up across Jammu and Kashmir as the BJP is set to hold an ‘Ekatma Mahatsav’ rally commemorating the 5th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 today.
Five years ago, on August 5, Article 370, which gave a special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, was repealed. Following this, the state was split into two Union Territories.
Slamming the BJP for organising a rally to celebrate the revocation of Article 370, the opposition bloc, including Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), termed August 5 a “black day.”
A local PDP leader stated that the protest would be held outside the party headquarters in Gandhinagar.
Speaking with news agency PTI, a spokesperson for the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) stated that the party will also hold a protest at Maharaja Hari Singh Park to condemn the abrogation of Article 370.
On Monday, the ‘Ekatma Mahotsav’ rally will take place at Bana Singh Stadium in R S Pura, commemorating the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India on August 5, 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stated J-K BJP General Secretary and former MLC Vibodh Gupta.
“The day of August 5, 2019 is a very important day in our lives. On this vital day five years ago, a historic blunder was corrected, and we, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, united completely with the rest of India. We are now able to enjoy all the rights and liberties and are progressing on the path of development,” Gupta was quoted as saying by PTI in its report.
Lambasting the BJP over celebrating the abrogation of Article 370, J-K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma said, “What was achieved in five years, the BJP should answer to the people, especially Dogras, instead of rubbing salt on their wounds.”
Hitting out at the J-K BJP for its “shamelessness and compulsion to celebrate the day of J-K’s destruction,” Sharma stated that the party is “celebrating the downgrading” of the historic Dogra state, taking away the status, dignity, identity, and rights of the people of J&K.
Amarnath Yatra Suspended For A Day
In the wake of the 5th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has suspended the Amarnath Yatra for a day. As a precautionary measure, no fresh batch of pilgrims was allowed to leave the Bhagwati Nagar base camp.
This year, over 4.90 lakh pilgrims have paid their respects at the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine till now.
“The yatra has been halted for the day as a precautionary measure. No fresh batch was allowed from Jammu to Kashmir today,” an officer told PTI.
The Amarnath Yatra began on June 29 and will conclude on August 19.