Published 15:06 IST, August 13th 2019
Sitaram Yechury refuses to mark his birthday, cites 'economic distress, floods & J&K'
General Secretary Sitaram Yechury citing 'dark atmosphere' in the country, said that there very little to celebrate, while responding to the birthday wishes.Â
General Secretary Sitaram Yechury citing 'dark atmosphere' in the country, said that there very little to celebrate, while responding to the birthday wishes.
In a tweet, Yechury said that they "do not mark birthdays" and that with the 'deep economic crisis, floods and the undemocractic clampdown' in Jammu and Kashmir there is little to celebrate.
I am grateful for all your wishes on my birthday. We do not mark birthdays, and with the dark atmosphere in India now, the deep economic distress, the floods and the undemocratic clampdown in J&K, there is very little to celebrate.
— Sitaram Yechury (@SitaramYechury) August 13, 2019
Yechury on August 12 alleged that the people of Kashmir have been kept "imprisoned" in their own homes and warned the government that the impact of changing Jammu and Kashmir's status would be felt in other states with special status.
While greeting people on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, Yechury, who along with CPI general secretary had been denied entry into Srinagar on August 9, said he still didn't know the condition of his party colleagues in Kashmir.
"Eid is an occasion of joy and celebration, and our thoughts are with the people of Kashmir who have been kept imprisoned in their own homes. We still don't know how or where our Comrades in Kashmir are," he tweeted.
"We are a country of diverse languages, religions, cultures & ideas; this is our strength. The impact of undemocratically and forcibly altering Jammu and Kashmir's status will be felt in other states with special status. Let's not forget that most are on India's borders," Yechury said.
Eid al-Adha prayers were held at various mosques in the Kashmir Valley on August 12.
The authorities had on August 11 said that people will be allowed to visit neighbourhood mosques to offer prayers.
Large gatherings, however, were not allowed in any part of the Valley.
The Narendra Modi government on August 5 revoked Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. Both the upper house and the lower house of the Parliament approved the resolution abrogating Article 370 for J&K and a bill to bifurcate the state into two union territories, Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, with Home Minister Amit Shah saying the controversial provisions were responsible for poverty and lack of development in the state. Ministry of External Affairs also briefed the envoys of the P5 nations -- the US, the UK, China, France and Russia -- about Indian government's decision to scrap Article 370 and bifurcate the state into two union territories.
(With PTI inputs)
Updated 15:49 IST, August 13th 2019