SRINAGAR: In the first sign of “defiance” towards Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, the ruling National Conference (NC) has decided not to attend the celebration of the Foundation Day of Union Territory to be organised by the Lt Governor administration in Jammu and Kashmir.
Though the Centre scrapped J&K’s special status and downgraded and bifurcated erstwhile J&K state into two Union Territories on August 5, 2019, it was formally converted into a UT on October 31, 2019.
Since then, the L-G administration has been annually celebrating the UT’s Foundation Day of the UT and organising functions on the day. Sinha has directed all the authorities to make all arrangements for the grand celebration.
However, the ruling NC, which won 42 out of 90 Assembly seats in recently held elections and has the support of five independents and six Congress legislators, has decided against attending the function.
Senior NC leader and MLA Tanvir Sadiq, a close confidant of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, said no NC members would attend the UT Day function to be organised by the L-G.
“We don’t accept the UT Foundation Day. We believe whatever was snatched from us on August 5, 2019, including special status and statehood, was wrong, unconstitutional and immoral. We want J&K’s statehood to be restored as early as possible by the Centre,” he said. The L-G will be the chief guest at the UT Foundation Day function at SKICC in Srinagar on Thursday. Chief Minister Omar Abdullah’s cabinet, in its first meeting, passed a resolution on restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
Omar has met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi and sought the early restoration of statehood to J&K.
Meanwhile, the Omar government on Wednesday announced the restoration of the November-December academic session in Jammu and Kashmir. Omar said examinations up to 9th class would be held in November-December this year.“ For classes 10th and 12th, exams will be held in March-April next year. The November-December session will be restored for 10th and 12th class from next year also,” he said.
The Lieutenant Governor administration announced a uniform academic calendar I 2022 and shifted the academic session in J&K from November-December to March-April.