From ‘Black Day’ to festival of unity: BJP turns accession anniversary into celebration of new Kashmir

For decades, separatists and their ideological allies portrayed October 26 as a “Black Day” in Kashmir, marking the signing of the Instrument of Accession. On Monday, the BJP sought to change that narrative, celebrating the 79th anniversary of Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India as a day of victory, pride and national unity across the Union Territory.

On October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, formally integrating the princely state with the Dominion of India. The following day, October 27, Indian troops landed in Srinagar to repel the tribal invasion launched from Pakistan. What separatists had long sought to portray as a tragedy, the BJP now presents as the foundation of Kashmir’s enduring bond with India. The party argues that the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 further consolidated that relationship.

BJP offices across Jammu and Kashmir witnessed celebrations, with leaders and workers gathering to mark the occasion. At the party's headquarters in Srinagar, a large gathering unfurled the Tricolour and party flags, raised slogans of “Bharat Mata ki Jai” and distributed sweets. Similar programmes were organised at party offices and public venues across the Union Territory, with the J&K unit marking the occasion with the festive spirit associated with Eid, Holi and Diwali.

Speaking to Zee News, BJP's Jammu and Kashmir spokesperson Altaf Thakur described Maharaja Hari Singh's decision as a rejection of the two-nation theory and a visionary choice to join India's democratic system.

“This is a day of Eid, Holi, Diwali for us. We have got merged with the Indian state, the mother of democracy. We are now proud Indians,” Thakur said.

He argued that the 1947 accession was decisively strengthened by the constitutional changes introduced in 2019, which removed Article 370 and, in the BJP's view, completed Jammu and Kashmir's integration with India in letter and spirit.

Thakur also targeted political rivals, accusing National Conference president Farooq Abdullah and his party of attempting to obscure their record of misgovernance and remaining emotionally invested in the violence of the past.

“Farooq should publicly apologize,” he said, alleging that the National Conference remained more comfortable with the old narrative of victimhood than with what he described as Kashmir's emerging story of peace and development.

Thakur also criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over his recent remarks targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Dismissing them as the frustration of a party that had repeatedly lost elections, he announced that the BJP would organise protests against the Congress.

The celebrations come amid a sharp political exchange following Farooq Abdullah's recent comments suggesting that Pakistan's continued international advocacy on Kashmir somehow protects the region's interests. BJP leaders, including Thakur and Jammu and Kashmir unit president Sat Sharma, have described those remarks as anti-national and demanded accountability.

For the BJP, Accession Day has become more than a contested historical anniversary. The party sees it as an opportunity to underline its claim that the changes introduced after 2019 have opened a new chapter for Jammu and Kashmir. It presents the occasion as a reaffirmation of the Maharaja's decision and the principles of one Constitution, one flag and one citizenship, while arguing that the Valley's youth are increasingly looking towards development and opportunity rather than the politics of grievance.

Where separatist calls for a “Black Day” once shaped the anniversary's public narrative, the BJP says celebrations marked by saffron flags, Tricolour rallies and public displays of support for the accession now reflect a changing political mood in Srinagar and across the Union Territory. On Monday, the party made that contrast central to its message.