The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Tuesday said that it has demanded the government to declare October 26 as festival day in the state.BJP General Secretary Organization Ashok Koul while talking to KNS during a party meeting at Banquet Hall here, said that the party has asked the government that October 26 should be celebrated as festival day in Jammu and Kashmir.“There are already so many holidays in the state as it affects working of the state. But we believe and have asked the government that October 26 should be celebrated as festival in the state,” Koul said.The BJP celebrates 26 October as accession day as on this day in 1947, the then ruler of the state, Maharaja Hari Singh, had signed the Instrument of Accession with India. Before partition, Kashmir was an independent princely state. But after partition, both India and Pakistan laid their claims on Kashmir.
Koul said that during rule of Ghulam Muhammad Bakhshi, October 26 was celebrated as a festival.He said that BJP is committed on its core issues and nobody can change the party’s mindset on its core issues, including abrogation of Article 370.Koul said that they are currently abuzz with developmental, employment process in the state. “As soon as this process ends, we will raise our core issues in the state,” Koul said.“We are currently giving priority to the developmental, employment process in the state, which is supposed to benefit the people here. Our party has not skipped its core agenda’s but will take those core issues after providing benefits to the people,” he said.He said that nobody should think that BJP has changed its mindset on its core issues is not possible.While referring to the party’s membership drive, Koul claimed that almost 8 lakh people across the Jammu and Kashmir have registered themselves in the BJP’s membership drive.“We have members from every district of Kashmir and almost 2.50 lakh members are from the Valley while the remaining members are from Ladakh and Jammu,” he claimed.He said that currently the membership drive of the party has been closed but more members are still coming to register themselves in the party. (KNS)