BJP Celebrates, Opposition Criticizes Article 370 Abrogation 

Srinagar, Aug 5: Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed mixed response on the fifth anniversary of abrogation of Article 370 that was revoked in the parliament on this day in 2019.
Celebrations have once again witnessed in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) camp today where the local leaders were seen distributing the sweets and raising slogans in favour of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking what they termed as the bold move in favour of Jammu and Kashmir.

The erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir was also bifurcated into two Union Territories including J&K and Ladakh on this day in 2019.
As per the Morning Kashmir, the BJP leaders while celebrating the anniversary stated that the courageous decision of PM Modi led government by taking such a decision has put an end to the terrorism here and also paved the way for a peaceful atmosphere in J&K.
However, the opposition parties in Jammu and Kashmir criticized the decision on the occasion with National Conference (NC) Vice president, Omar Abdullah stating that those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley.
Taking to micro-blogging site X (formerly twitter), Omar said: “This is what passes for democracy & free speech in J&K. A handful of BJP “leaders” are encouraged to celebrate today while those who would have registered their protest against what was done to J&K are locked up in homes across the valley”.
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti termed the August 05, 2019 as a “dark day” for J&K.
“5th August 2019 will go down in history not just as a dark day for J&K but a blot on Indian democracy. The day when a semi autonomous state was disempowered, dismembered & robbed of everything special & sacrosanct to us. Since then the state has been threatened into silence which is touted as ‘peace and normalcy’ to the rest of the country. Five years on the siege continues but so does the unyielding defiance & resistance. We Kashmiris refuse to be erased & unpeopled,” Mehbooba wrote on X.
J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president, Vikar Rasool said that the party is observing today as ‘Black Day’ to protest against the “degradation of J&K from a state to a Union Territory.”
Peoples Conference (PC) President, Sajad Gani Lone in a post on X however termed the occasion as an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people
“August 5 will always be an ugly reminder of the complete disempowerment of the Kashmiri people. Five years on there is no elected Assembly and the locals have no say in running their own affairs. And sadly there aren’t enough powerful voices in the country to seek questions as to why J and K has been selectively targeted for such humiliating existence,” Lone wrote on X.