Lagatar24 Desk
Leh, Dec.13: A complete shutdown is being observed in Ladakh to urge for statehood for the region, which was established as a distinct union territory in August 2019.
Roads in the Leh and Kargil districts appear empty. In Leh, all economic and business activity have come to a halt. The People’s Movement for the 6th Schedule, located in Leh, and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have called for a bandh.
Both organisations have formed an alliance and have threatened to stage a protest in favour of their statehood demands. They also want constitutional safeguards along the lines of the 6th schedule, as well as separate parliament seats for the districts of Leh and Kargil and recruitment for 12,000 positions in Ladakh.
Ironically, there were celebrations in Leh when J&K was stripped of its statehood and demoted to two union territories. The Ladakh Buddhist Association, which was present at the celebrations at the time, is today a member of the political alliance calling for statehood and constitutional guarantees for job and land rights for Ladakh residents only.
Initially, the BJP unit in Ladakh was a member of the coalition, but it later dropped out after the party was accused of “doublespeak.” This is also the first time the leaders of Muslim-majority Kargil and Buddhist-majority Leh have joined forces for the sake of their political future.
The action presents a significant challenge to the central government in the midst of a protracted military standoff in Ladakh along the Line of Actual Control. The central and the BJP have hailed the creation of Ladakh as a distinct union territory as a watershed moment for development and the end of decades of prejudice.
People in Leh and Kargil, however, have united in their opposition to the centre and what they term bureaucratic tyranny in the union territory in just two years.
Following the formation of the alliance, Thupstan Chewang, the Leh apex body’s chief, stated that the entire Ladakh is united in their demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards similar to those enjoyed under the special status provisions, which prohibited outsiders from owning land or being given jobs in Ladakh.
The Centre committed to restore statehood to J&K at a “appropriate time” once the special status was revoked. Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently stated that J&K’s statehood will be restored only after the union territory’s assembly elections are held. There has been no indication of when the assembly elections would take place.
The Delimitation Commission, which was established to demarcate assembly seats in March 2020, has yet to deliver its report. Only when the assembly seats have been defined can the assembly election process begin.
All major parties, with the exception of the BJP, have called for the restoration of statehood before the elections. Regional parties challenging the Centre’s decision in the Supreme Court have demanded that special status be restored, claiming that it was the only constitutional link between the former state and the union of India.
