- Holiday for Eid-e-Milad observed today in Jammu and Kashmir, though lunar date is tomorrow
- Elected government calls today's holiday unjust and blames Lt Governor's administration
- Religious leaders and civil society also condemn authorities for ignoring actual date
It's an official holiday in Jammu and Kashmir today for Eid-e-Milad, which commemorates the birth of Prophet Mohammad. But as per the lunar calendar, Milad is tomorrow (September 6). The decision to mark it today has triggered a massive controversy in the Union territory. The elected government has termed today's holiday unjust and an attempt to hurt the sentiments of people, and blamed the Lt Governor-led administration for ignoring their requests to shift the holiday.
The holiday controversy marks the latest rift between the elected government and the Lt Governor-led administration, with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah berating it as a "deliberate decision by the unelected government to hurt the sentiments of people."
"The calendar printed by the Government press is very clear - "Subject to the appearance of the moon". It means that the holiday is subject to change depending upon the moon being sighted. The deliberate decision by the unelected government not to shift the holiday is inconsiderate & designed to hurt the sentiments of the people," said Mr Abdullah.
Earlier, Sakina Itoo, J&K's Health and Education Minister, too had blamed the Lt Governor's administration for "playing with the emotions of people".
"This is totally unjust that Eid-e-Milad, a sacred occasion for Muslims worldwide, is not observed as a holiday on the correct date in J&K. What does "subject to appearance of the moon" mean if it is not followed? Despite repeated requests from the elected government to shift the holiday, no action has been taken. This is playing with the emotions of the people. Such decisions should be at the helm of the elected government," Ms Itoo said in a post on X.
Religious leaders and civil society have also strongly reacted to the holiday decision and termed it an utter disregard for the sanctity of the occasion.
"Strongly condemn the utter disregard of authorities on the revered occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi, who for the second consecutive year have failed to reschedule the holiday in accordance with the actual date, which is tomorrow, disregarding the sentiments of the muslim community. This deliberate negligence is unacceptable to the Muslims of J&K who strongly protest it. Equally regrettable is the silence of the elected government, who fail to take a stand on any issue of the people of J&K. I will also talk about it in my juma sermon at Jama Masjid today," Mirwaiz Umar Farooq said in a post on X.
Technically, the general administration department, which decides on holidays, comes under the elected government and the chief minister, but it's the Lt Governor who holds de jure authority and retains the ultimate power on key matters in the Union territory.
The politics surrounding the holiday controversy gained heat after the J&K police denied the Abdullah government permission to observe 'Martyrs Day' on July 13 and placed the Chief Minister and most of his ministers and MLAs under house detention.
On July 14, Omar Abdullah scaled the wall of Martyr's Graveyard in Srinagar after the police allegedly tried to stop him from entering the cemetery to offer tributes to the 1931 martyrs.
This is not the first time an official holiday for a festival has been observed on misplaced dates. Last year, the Eid holiday was observed a day before in Jammu and Kashmir.
Since 2020, July 13 and December 5 - former J&K Prime Minister and Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah's birth anniversary - have been dropped as official holidays. Instead, the birth anniversary of Maharaja Hari Singh, J&K's ruler under British paramountcy, is now a public holiday in the region.
In the absence of the Transaction of Business Rules, elected governments in Jammu and Kashmir have often accused the Lt Governor of overreach and impeding the functioning of the elected government. Lt Governor Manoj Sinha had denied the allegations.
The 'Transaction of Business Rules' defines the role of the elected government and the Lt Governor in a Union Territory. But these rules have not been cleared by the Lt Governor, even months after they were submitted by the J&K cabinet.
The elected government in Jammu and Kashmir was formed in October last year. But the government is still without an advocate general (the top law officer of the government) since the Lt Governor has yet to clear the candidate proposed by the chief minister.
Transfer of officers is another major friction point between the elected government and the Lt Governor. Mr Sinha has repeatedly asserted that his authority is limited to the transfer of IAS/IFS officers and the responsibility of police and public order, while the elected government has control over everything else.
But the elected government often blames him for transferring J&K Administration Service (JKAS) officers and posting them in domains of the elected government.
