SRINAGAR — Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s visit to the Martyrs’ Graveyard in old Srinagar, which saw him climb a fence to enter the area, has drawn sharp reactions from political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir.
BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir spokesperson Altaf Thakur launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister and the National Conference, accusing them of reviving “divisive and dangerous politics” under the garb of commemorating July 13.
“Omar Abdullah is shamelessly indulging in the politics of graves just to remain politically relevant. By glorifying the events of 1931, he is whitewashing a day soaked in the blood of innocent Kashmiri Pandits. This is not a tribute — it’s a calculated provocation,” Thakur said in a no-holds-barred statement.
He said the BJP firmly rejects the designation of July 13 as Martyrs’ Day.
“This was not a day of martyrdom, but a day when the seeds of communal hatred were sown in Kashmir. It marked the beginning of a violent, exclusionary narrative that targeted minorities,” he said. Thakur cited historical incidents of brutality against Pandits on the day.
Peoples Conference chairman and MLA Sajjad Lone said for a moment he was impressed with Omar’s visit to the July 13 martyrs cemetery.
“But now that you have given a ball-by-ball commentary of your so-called struggle in reaching the Martyrs Graveyard, I will bet my life. It was all scripted. I will still tell you that the institution of the Chief Minister is much bigger than the person of the incumbent Chief Minister. Please save this institution. Please step down. I will be the first person to follow you,” Lone said in a post on X.
“That a security person will try to grapple or stop a Chief Minister is a humiliation for all of us. Don’t set a precedence which others will have to follow – a precedence of humiliation,” he added.
Kashmiri separatist leader and Hurriyat chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said CM Omar experienced the suppression and helplessness that ordinary Kashmiris face daily.
“Power teaches little, powerlessness teaches more! Today the CM sahab @omarabdullah tasted the bitter medicine of authoritarian high-handedness and subsequent helplessness that common Kashmiris face every day in different forms,” he said.
“Hoping this experience shifts his focus to what is the first priority of every people – upholding their dignity, and their fundamental rights, and work sincerely towards its restoration,” he added.
Former Mayor of Srinagar, Junaid Azim Mattu, said a CM being manhandled is the starkest reflection of where we stand today — a reality check.
“Hand on my heart — I speak without any political agenda — the CM of J&K must resign and the people of J&K must then stand with him — cutting across party lines and affiliations. A CM being manhandled like this is the starkest reflection of where we stand today — a reality check,” he said.
https://kashmirpulse.com/politics/bjp-slams-omar-for-reviving-politics-of-graves-lone-calls-visit-scripted/113110.html
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