JAMMU : The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Wednesday witnessed intense protests after Leader of Opposition and senior BJP leader Sunil Sharma referred to the July 13 martyrs as “traitors.”
The controversy erupted during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Lieutenant Governor’s address when PDP leader Waheed-ur-Rehman Parra demanded the reinstatement of the July 13 Martyrs’ Day holiday. As Parra concluded his speech, Sharma objected, stating, “They were not martyrs but traitors,” triggering loud protests from both the ruling party and opposition leaders from Kashmir-based parties. Lawmakers demanded the removal of his remarks from the official records.
Terming the statement offensive and divisive, Bandipora MLA Nizamuddin Bhat urged the Speaker to either retract or erase it from the records. Amid continued sloganeering between BJP and the Treasury Benches, Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather announced that Sharma’s comments had been officially expunged.
Following this, all BJP MLAs staged a walkout in protest. Meanwhile, People’s Conference MLA Sajad Gani Lone called for a resolution to reinstate holidays for Martyrs’ Day and the birth anniversary of National Conference founder Sheikh Muhammad Abdullah.
Speaking to the media later, BJP’s Sunil Sharma justified his stance, claiming that those who opposed Maharaja Hari Singh’s rule in 1931 were anti-nationals. “Traitors cannot be glorified as martyrs,” he asserted, adding that Martyrs’ Day should instead honor figures like Maqbool Sherwani, Major Somnath Sharma, and Brigadier Rajinder Singh, who defended J&K.
“We will continue to state, both inside and outside the Assembly, that traitors do not deserve the title of martyr,” he declared. He further alleged that those killed outside Central Jail Srinagar on July 13, 1931, were responsible for arson in a Hindu locality before rebelling against the Maharaja’s rule. “The Congress government labeled them martyrs, but under Narendra Modi’s leadership, they will not receive such recognition,” he stated.
Sharma also accused the Speaker of bias, alleging he was acting as a representative of a specific political party rather than maintaining neutrality.
