J&K CM Omar Abdullah (PTI)

SRINAGAR: Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah “resides in the hearts of people” whether his Dec 5 birth anniversary is declared a holiday or not, his grandson and J&K CM Omar Abdullah said Thursday, five years after the date tied to the National Conference (NC) founder was taken off the list of public holidays by the Centre-appointed lieutenant governor.“Declaring a holiday on such occasions is not within the powers of the elected govt. The decision lies with the Centre. That is why we keep saying we should have our statehood back so that we can take both big and small decisions. Holiday or not, (it) will not be the yardstick to gauge his contribution,” Omar said.The CM was responding to questions about the anniversary, which NC plans to observe on a grand scale on Friday. He was speaking on the sidelines of a passing-out parade of 711 Agniveers of Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry (JAKLI) Regiment in Srinagar.In Jan 2020, five months after the abrogation of Article 370, the LG’s administration removed Sheikh Abdullah’s birth anniversary from the list of holidays along with Martyrs’ Day, observed on July 13 to commemorate the killings of protesters by Dogra forces in 1931. By contrast, in 2022 the birth anniversary of last Dogra ruler Maharaja Hari Singh on Sept 23 was added to the list of holidays.Earlier, Omar turned his address in freezing cold at the passing-out parade of Agniveers into a brief history lesson, saying this was the first time he had the opportunity to attend such an event at JAKLI regiment.“You are joining a regiment that has deep ties with Jammu and Kashmir. Before Independence, the regiment served as a militia and fought the tribal invasion (in 1947),” Omar said, adding JAKLI had played a crucial role in safeguarding borders, from the heights of Siachen to the deserts of Rajasthan.The Army pointed out that the batch of Agniveers “was barely a week into training when Operation Sindoor commenced”. “The consequent drills adopted during the high intensity period of the operation acted as battle inoculation for these newly inducted under trainees and fostered unshakeable resolve amongst these young men,” the Army said.