Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, a nationalist student organisation, took out a Tiranga rally in the heart of Srinagar city on Thursday, stating that it was an attempt to inculcate nationalism in the youth and an answer to those who claimed that the tricolor has no admirers in the Valley.
A group of youngsters, led by Akeel Ahmad Tantray, an official member of the ABVP, led a 2-km Shan-e-Tiranga march, as they held a 50-feet long flag from the Tourist Reception Centre to the clock tower in Lal Chowk.“Some recent social media post from across the border claimed that ABVP is anti-Muslim. I am a Muslim and I want to tell them that Kashmiri youth admire and love the tricolor,” said Tantray, adding, “this will also rekindle the lost love for the nation among the youth in the Valley.” He said that nobody has been brought forcefully to the rally and abrogation of Article 370 on August 5 2019, has given everyone a chance to come forward and express themselves. “We celebrated January 26 in Gulmarg. So today, we came to the city to organise this rally,” he said.The ABVP has been organising these Tiranga rallies since 2019. On January 24, a J&K administration order directed educational heads to send students and teachers for a Tiranga Rally organised by the ABVP in Poonch district but following criticism by political parties in Kashmir, the order was rescinded.
“Iltija Mufti of PDP had posted that students should not join our rally in Poonch. Now, this was our response to her in Srinagar. We have been doing this for several years to spread peace, harmony and love for the nation,” state secretary of the ABVP in J&K, Akshi Billowria told ET. The ABVP, Billowria said, works across J&K and has presence in all major institutions in the Valley as well.