Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Jammu and Kashmir chief spokesperson Altaf Thakur on Monday accused the Omar Abdullah-led NC government of reviving the “grave politics” in Kashmir.
He said the current dispensation is reviving “divisive and dangerous politics” under the guise of commemorating July 13. The “grave politics” was used as a reference to glorify the renewed phase of militancy post-2011 in the Kashmir valley by the anti-India forces.
The grave politics is a controversial term in the context of Kashmir's politics, which was popularised by Burhan Wani, a Hizbul Commander hailing from south Kashmir. During the 2011-2018 period, hundreds of thousands of people, mainly young men, would offer funeral prayers for the militants killed in the encounters.
This was then glorified by the militants taking centre-stage and concluded with anti-India sloganeering before they would flee the spot. It later became a precedent and many youth took up arms under the pretext of “resisting India.” During those years, several hundred militants, some of whom were below 18 years of age, lost their lives in the encounters.
Fast forward to 2025, the term has now been associated with mainstream politics, as Omar led the NC government on Monday, defying the orders to pay their respects to the martyrs of July 13, 1931.
Reacting to his move today, Thakur said, “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 made controversial remarks on the topic that is very sensitive in the context of Kashmir’s overall political history; 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 added.
Meanwhile, on Monday after paying respects to the martyrs, Omar went all guns blazing at the LG administration along with the BJP and major opposition parties.
He said, “It is sad that on the instructions of the people who claim that their responsibility is the security and law and order, we were not allowed to offer ‘fateha’ here.”
In an indirect swipe meant for all political opponents, including the LG administration, he said, “We are not their slaves; we are slaves of the people who elected us.”
The Srinagar district administration on Saturday rejected a request submitted by the ruling National Conference seeking permission to visit the “martyrs’ graveyard”.
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