NEW DELHI: Thousands of people marched through the freezing streets of Leh, braving the bitter cold, to demand statehood for Ladakh and protection under the 6th Schedule of the Constitution.
The protest, organized by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), brought men and women from all walks of life together to voice their concerns.
The central government has taken notice of these demands and has formed a high-level committee led by Union minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, to safeguard Ladakh’s unique culture and language. However, the protesters have alleged that their representation and powers have significantly diminished since Ladakh became a Union Territory.
Previously, when Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir, the region had four members in the assembly and two in the legislative council, ensuring adequate representation. However, after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and became a Union Territory.
The legal Adviser of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, Haji Ghulam Mustafa, told ANI that all powers that were people-centric have weakened and the region has no representation in the assembly. The protesters are demanding that Ladakh its own Public Service Commission to address this issue.
“Ever since Ladakh became a UT, the apex body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) put forward a four-point agenda. All our powers which were people-centric have weakened. When we were a part of Jammu and Kashmir, we had four members in the Assembly and two in the legislative council. Now we have no representation in the Assembly. It has always been our demand that the people of Ladakh should have representation in the Assembly and that we should get statehood. The reason is that Ladakh is, strategically, a very important place,” he said.
“This is a tribal majority area and has all the features that states in the Northeast have. Further, along the lines of Northeast states, we demand that the provisions of the 6th schedule be implemented in Ladakh to protect its culture. Ever since Ladakh became a UT, there have been no gazetted job openings in the region while in J&K, two batches have already been commissioned and the third batch will be commissioned soon. Ladakh urgently needs a Public Service Commission of its own. People here are observing a total shutdown today. This is to send a message to the power corridors in Delhi that the people of Ladakh demand empowerment of the region,” he added.
The protest, organized by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), brought men and women from all walks of life together to voice their concerns.
The central government has taken notice of these demands and has formed a high-level committee led by Union minister of state for home, Nityanand Rai, to safeguard Ladakh’s unique culture and language. However, the protesters have alleged that their representation and powers have significantly diminished since Ladakh became a Union Territory.
Previously, when Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir, the region had four members in the assembly and two in the legislative council, ensuring adequate representation. However, after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and became a Union Territory.
The legal Adviser of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance, Haji Ghulam Mustafa, told ANI that all powers that were people-centric have weakened and the region has no representation in the assembly. The protesters are demanding that Ladakh its own Public Service Commission to address this issue.
“Ever since Ladakh became a UT, the apex body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) put forward a four-point agenda. All our powers which were people-centric have weakened. When we were a part of Jammu and Kashmir, we had four members in the Assembly and two in the legislative council. Now we have no representation in the Assembly. It has always been our demand that the people of Ladakh should have representation in the Assembly and that we should get statehood. The reason is that Ladakh is, strategically, a very important place,” he said.
“This is a tribal majority area and has all the features that states in the Northeast have. Further, along the lines of Northeast states, we demand that the provisions of the 6th schedule be implemented in Ladakh to protect its culture. Ever since Ladakh became a UT, there have been no gazetted job openings in the region while in J&K, two batches have already been commissioned and the third batch will be commissioned soon. Ladakh urgently needs a Public Service Commission of its own. People here are observing a total shutdown today. This is to send a message to the power corridors in Delhi that the people of Ladakh demand empowerment of the region,” he added.