Maharaja Hari Singh birth anniversary marked across J&K amid Assembly holiday row
Jammu, KNT: The 131st birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh was observed across Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday, with tributes and public events held in Jammu a day after a heated Assembly exchange over the government holiday marking the former ruler’s birth anniversary.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha paid tributes to Maharaja Hari Singh on his Janm-Jayanti, recalling his contribution to public welfare and social reforms. Sinha said the Maharaja had introduced reforms aimed at the welfare and empowerment of people and that his ideals of public service, equality and inclusive development continued to be relevant.
In Jammu, the Yuva Rajput Sabha organized a Maharally to mark the occasion. The rally began from the Ban Talab area and proceeded through several parts of the city before concluding at the Maharaja Hari Singh statue near Tawi Bridge, where tributes were paid.
The celebrations followed a cultural program organized by the Yuva Rajput Sabha on Tuesday evening near the Maharaja’s statue at Tawi Bridge and at Prem Nagar Park, featuring presentations on Dogra culture, traditions and the life and legacy of Maharaja Hari Singh.
September 23 is a government holiday in Jammu and Kashmir marking Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary. The holiday was added to the official calendar in 2022 and continues to be observed across the Union Territory.
The observance this year followed a political controversy in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, when National Conference MLA Abdul Majid Larmi demanded restoration of holidays associated with party founder Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah and said that, if those holidays were not restored, the government should withdraw the holiday marking Maharaja Hari Singh’s birth anniversary.
The remarks triggered protests from BJP legislators, who opposed any move to withdraw the September 23 holiday and raised slogans in support of Maharaja Hari Singh. BJP MLA Devyani Rana said the holiday represented a long-standing demand and should not be cancelled.
PDP MLA Waheed Ur Rehman Para also called for restoration of the holiday associated with Sheikh Abdullah and raised the issue of restoring July 13 as a public holiday. Congress supported restoration of a Sheikh Abdullah holiday while maintaining a distinction between that demand and the existing holiday for Maharaja Hari Singh.
Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather told members that he did not have the authority to grant or withdraw government holidays. The BJP members subsequently staged a walkout from the House.
The government holiday on September 23 was introduced in 2022, while the holidays on Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary and July 13 were removed from the official holiday calendar in 2020. [KNT]
