(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) Security has been intensified across Jammu and Kashmir on Monday (August 5) as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will commemorate the 5th anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370 with an 'Ekatma Mahatsav' rally. This event marks five years since August 5, 2019, when Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was repealed, and the state was bifurcated into two Union Territories.
The opposition, including the congress and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has criticized the BJP's celebratory rally, labelling August 5 as a "black day." A local PDP leader announced plans to protest outside the party headquarters in Gandhinagar. Additionally, the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) will hold a protest at Maharaja Hari Singh Park, condemning the abrogation of Article 370.
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The 'Ekatma Mahotsav' rally is set to take place at Bana Singh Stadium in RS Pura. The rally will commemorate the complete integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India on August 5, 2019, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
J-K BJP General Secretary and former MLC Vibodh Gupta stressed the significance of this day and said, "On this vital day five years ago, a historic blunder was corrected, and we, the people of Jammu and Kashmir, united completely with the rest of India. We are now able to enjoy all the rights and liberties and are progressing on the path of development."
In stark contrast, J-K Congress chief spokesperson Ravinder Sharma criticized the BJP for celebrating the abrogation, questioning what tangible achievements the party has made in the past five years. Sharma accused the BJP of "rubbing salt on the wounds" of the people, especially the Dogras, and condemned the party's "shamelessness and compulsion to celebrate the day of J-K's destruction."
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Amid the heightened tensions and in light of the 5th anniversary of the Article 370 abrogation, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has temporarily suspended the Amarnath Yatra. As a precautionary measure, no new batch of pilgrims was permitted to leave the Bhagwati Nagar base camp. Despite the suspension, over 4.90 lakh pilgrims have visited the 3,880-meter-high cave shrine this year.
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