BJP To Celebrate August 5 as a Day of ‘Happiness and Deliverance From Long-Standing Evils’

Srinagar: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is preparing an extensive slate of commemorative events across Jammu and Kashmir to mark the anniversary of the 2019 revocation of Article 370—a move the party continues to describe as transformative for the region’s political stability, social equity, and developmental trajectory.

According to party leaders, the celebrations are intended to highlight what they view as the “complete and successful integration” of J&K with the rest of India, while countering opposition-led protests planned for the same day.

The day will begin with the unfurling of the national flag at every district, zonal, tehsil, and municipal ward headquarters, symbolising what the BJP calls a renewed sense of unity and national belonging. Senior leaders and local representatives will preside over these ceremonies, ensuring that the tricolour is raised simultaneously across the Union Territory. Alongside these formal displays, the party is placing strong emphasis on grassroots participation. Communities that the BJP says have directly benefited from the abrogation—such as West Pakistan Refugees, the Valmiki Samaj, and Safai Karamcharis—will be invited to take part in the events and be publicly acknowledged for their long-standing struggles and contributions.

Throughout the celebratory period, rallies and public outreach programs will be held in all 90 assembly segments of J&K, the party sources said, adding that these gatherings will feature senior BJP leaders, national office bearers, and central ministers, who will address local audiences on the political, social, and economic changes the party attributes to the 2019 decision. Events will be dedicated entirely to paying tribute to police personnel and political workers who lost their lives over the past three and a half decades. According to party organisers, this remembrance is meant to honour sacrifices made during years of militancy and political violence, and to underscore the BJP’s claim that the region has seen a significant decline in separatism and unrest since the constitutional change.

In addition to physical events, the party is planning a series of virtual engagements. Central ministers will address online rallies focusing on major infrastructural and socio-economic developments in the region, including new AIIMS campuses, IITs, expanded road networks, and other projects the government says were accelerated after the reorganisation of the state. These digital sessions are intended to reach audiences across the country and abroad, projecting what the BJP describes as a narrative of progress and stability.

Senior BJP leader Ashok Kaul framed the anniversary as a moment of relief and pride, stating that the day marks the removal of “the root cause of many evils such as terrorism, discrimination, and lack of development.” He emphasised that the party views the abrogation as a turning point that enabled long-delayed reforms and opened new avenues for growth.

The celebrations come amid planned protests by opposition parties, particularly the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other Kashmir-centric groups, who have announced August 5 as a day of dissent. BJP leaders have sharply criticised these plans, accusing PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti of “following Pakistan’s agenda” by calling for demonstrations on the anniversary. The party’s messaging throughout the event cycle is expected to counter these narratives and reinforce its own interpretation of the region’s post-2019 trajectory.