Growing demand for statehood in Ladakh

Interests of local people ignored by administration, say civil society groups

Two years after Article 370 was read down by Parliament, certain sections of people in the newly created Union Territory of Ladakh are back to demanding Statehood and a greater say in development projects as they feel dis-empowered due to bureaucratic overreach.

Ladakh observed a shut down on December 13 to press for four demands — statehood for Ladakh, protection under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, filling of 12,000 vacancies, allocation of two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat. The strike was called by two powerful civil society groups — the Apex body for Leh, a group comprising all political parties, and the influential Buddhist Association and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).

A day later, Ladakh’s only member in Lok Sabha from the BJP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal demanded constitutional safeguards by amending the Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Council (LAHDC) Act that would clarify the role and responsibilities of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Lieutenant Governor, urban and rural panchayats vis a vis the two councils of Leh and Kargil. He also demanded that land, employment and cultural identity of Ladakh be protected under the Sixth Schedule. The schedule in the Constitution protects tribal populations, providing autonomy to the communities through creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture etc. As of now 10 autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram.