UT of Ladakh will be the model for good governance: Namgyal

After the Parliament passed a Bill for splitting the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories, Ladakh MP Tsering Namgyal said that the new Union Territory will be a model for good governance.

New Delhi:Tsering Namgyal, the first-time MP from Ladakh who earned praise for his fiery speech in the Parliament on Article 370, on Wednesday said that the next step would be to turn Ladakh into a model for the entire nation to follow.

Speaking exclusively to ETV Bharat, Namgyal, the only Lok Sabha MP representing Ladakh, said that after a 70-year-long struggle, UT-status for Ladakh has finally become a reality after the Parliament approved a resolution abrogating special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and a bill for splitting the state into two Union Territories.

"We will now work for the overall development of Ladakh. Narendra Modi government has acknowledged our sacrifice and has given us the UT status," he said.

"Now, the next step is to turn Ladakh into a model of good governance and transparency for the entire nation to follow," he added.

Namgyal further said that giving UT recognition to Ladakh will also prove to be strategically important for India.

"When there was special status to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, Centre had a limited role in Ladakh. Now with UT-status, Centre can run the region, which is good for the country," he said.

Coming down on the Congress and PDP, Namgyal said that these two parties 'ruined' Ladakh and the entire region.

Referring to Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, Namgyal said, "He himself told in the Parliament that Buddhists have become a minority in Ladakh. It was the Congress who made Buddhists a minority in their own land,"

Namgyal, however, said that though Ladakh will be the largest Buddhist state, both Buddhists and Muslims will stay united and live together peacefully.

Expressing satisfaction over the development, he said that there would be no corruption now in the distribution of central funds.

"Earlier we were neglected. The administration from Jammu and Kashmir hardly worked for our welfare. Now that we will get direct funding, I believe there will be lot of development in Ladakh," he said.

"I believe big investors would definitely come to Ladakh now which is already rich with so many resources," he added.

One of the youngest MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha, Namgyal on Tuesday gave a fiery speech welcoming Centre's decision on the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories. His speech found praise from senior leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

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