Srinagar: Leaders of Ladakh Union Territory will hold a protest on January 7 against dropping statehood and the Sixth Schedule from the agenda of the high-powered committee set up by the BJP government. Qamar Ali Akhoon, a senior Jammu and Kashmir National Conference leader and co-chairman of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) said the leaders of Ladakh will hold a joint protest against the government of India.
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has constituted a high-powered committee headed by Minister of State Nityanand Rai to ensure the protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh. The 17-member committee has Ladakh Lieutenant Governor R.K. Mathur as one of its members.
It will discuss measures to protect the region's unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance. The committee will also discuss measures for inclusive development and employment generation in the region and issues related to the empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill District Councils of Leh and Kargil.
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Ladakh, which was a part of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state, was carved out as Union Territory without assembly on August 5, 2019, when Jammu and Kashmir was divided into two UTs of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The people of the region are demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule status with assembly and one more Lok Sabha seat for Kargil.
Ladakh, which consists of two districts of Leh and Kargil, formed Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). Both these groups comprise political leaders of different parties and social activists and student unions and are jointly in this struggle.
Former BJP minister Chering Dorjey told ETV Bharat that the government of India has excluded statehood and Sixth Schedule in the agenda of the high-powered committee which is unaccountable to people of the region. "LBA and KDA leaders are meeting on January 7 in Jammu to discuss the future course of action," Dorjey said. PDP president and former chief minister Mehbooba Muftisaid that setting up of the committee is a "drama" and "jumla baazi" of the BJP government.
