BJP in Martyrs Day dilemma

While July 13 is officially observed as Martyrs Day in J&K, the occasion has put the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) in a tight spot as the party has never accepted those killed on July 13, 1931, as martyrs.

The BJP is of the belief that the victims had revolted against the regime of then Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh.

Though Chief Minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed will lead the government in paying tributes at the Martyrs Graveyard at the shrine of Hazrat Naqshband Sahib (RA) in old city here, the BJP ministers and party leaders are in a fix how to deal with the day.

For separatists, the day has historic importance as they believe that martyrs of 1931 set the base for Kashmir’s freedom struggle by revolting against the autocratic Dogra rule. Pro-freedom leadership has decided not to call for strike on July 13 this year and instead have announced a joint procession from Jamia Masjid to Martyrs Graveyard.

“BJP has never paid tributes to those killed on July 13, 1931. We as a party believe that there is doubt whether they should be called martyrs or not,” senior BJP leader and party’s Kashmir affairs in-charge, Ramesh Arora, told .

He said the issue whether they are martyrs or not is “debatable.”

“We as a party won’t go to the place where they are buried. We have not issued any directions to party ministers in this regard,” he said. On whether Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh and other BJP ministers would pay tributes to the martyrs, he said, “The party has left it to the conscience of the (BJP) ministers. It is their choice. They can visit the graveyard to avoid controversy. If it is a government function and some protocol is involved, they may follow the protocol for being in government. It depends on them.”

A senior BJP minister, wishing not to be named said it was a very difficult call for them to take. “If we go, it would be a controversy and if we won’t, that would still be an issue. We will talk about the issue in the July 12 convention to be chaired by party chief Amit Shah in New Delhi and accordingly follow the directions,” he said.

BJP’s state president Jugal Kishore said, “BJP is busy in its mission, why to go there (martyr’s graveyard)? I am not going. Ask those who are in the government.”

Senior BJP minister Abdul Gani Kohli guardedly stated that he won’t be present in Kashmir on July 13. “I have to attend a party function in Delhi on July 12, and on July 13 I will stay in Delhi.”