The Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party demanded declaration of Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday as a state holiday and lambasted the BJP for not taking the issue up.
The party wondered if former chief minister Sheikh Abdullah's birthday could be observed as a state holiday, why could Maharaja Hari Singh's birth anniversary, which falls on September 13, not be observed.
The JKNPP urged the Mehbooba government to "honour" the resolution adopted by the Legislative Council on January 24 this year, regarding the declaration of September 23 as a state holiday.
"We demand the immediate announcement of Maharaja Hari Singh's birthday as a state holiday. The BJP-PDP government should honour the resolution adopted by the Legislative Council," JKNPP chairman Harsh Dev Singh told reporters here today.
Lambasting BJP Ministers for maintaining a "studied silence" over the issue, Singh cautioned that dilly-dallying or any move to scuttle the resolution could have "serious ramifications".
Harsh Dev Singh further demanded that October 26 - the day when J&K acceded to India - be celebrated as a state function, just like Independence Day and Republic Day.
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