Leh: As Omar Abdullah took oath as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir after the Union Territory regained its legislative assembly on Wednesday, Ladakh which continues to be a UT without a legislature after being carved from erstwhile J&K state following the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, expressed discontent.
The absence of a legislature has left many Ladakhis feeling sidelined in terms of political representation and decision-making power.
The people of Ladakh continue to hope that their demand for statehood and an elected legislative body will soon be addressed.
Rigzin Spalbar, Former Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Leh, said, "This is a happy moment for all of us, as democracy has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir. It is a day for Ladakhis to congratulate the people of Jammu and Kashmir as it has formed its government. For many years, elections were not held in J&K. Now, as J&K is a Union Territory with a legislature, we can hope that in the near future, full statehood will be restored there and development will progress step by step. On the other hand, we are UT without a legislature. One of our key demands is to include Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule, and we have been actively pushing for this. The government has assured us of this inclusion, and we remain hopeful that it will happen soon."
He added, "Recently, five new districts were announced, bringing the total to seven. This decision will be remembered as a historic milestone. Once Ladakh is included in the Sixth Schedule, the Governor has the authority to establish Autonomous Development Councils under the Sixth Schedule and we hope that there will be ADCs in all the seven districts. We are optimistic that with this inclusion, we will see true development and a fully democratic system in Ladakh in the near future."
Haji Ghulam Abbas, a businessman from Kargil, “Now we have become a UT and we do not have any concern with Jammu and Kashmir after the bifurcation. Even though Jammu and Kashmir is also a UT but with legislature we are left without legislature. We are ‘neither fish nor fowl’. Both should be given UT with the legislature. Why has Ladakh not been given a UT with the legislature? This is our right. We want UT with the legislature so that someone can listen to us. Currently, Ladakh is in the hands of bureaucrats and they do everything. We have two Hill Councils, one in Leh and the other in Kargil, both of which have been disempowered. We are handicapped now. Our demand to the government is that, like Jammu & Kashmir, we also want Union Territory status with a legislature.”
Qamar Ali Akhoon, Additional General Secretary, J&K National Conference and Former Minister, said, "It is a fact that the National Conference won this assembly election by a good margin under Omar Abdullah's leadership. This victory reflects the good work the party has done in Jammu and Kashmir. People have placed their trust in the NC, believing it to be the only party capable of uniting people across religions in both Jammu and Kashmir. We are hopeful that the party will continue to deliver in the future as well. Whatever promises the National Conference has made to the people, we have always fulfilled them, and that is why the people have chosen us. We can see the result today.”
Although the National Conference has a strong presence in Kargil, it does not have a significant presence in Leh.
"The people of Kargil have always supported the National Conference because we have consistently worked for their welfare. We are also planning to strengthen the party's presence in Leh," Akhoon said.
Congratulating the new CM of J&K, Omar Abdullah, Tsering Namgyal, a local Congress leader said, “The sad part is that the public representation is no more, we used to have four MLAs and two MLCs. From the beginning, we have been demanding a UT with the legislature which the government didn’t listen to. Our leaders of Leh and Kargil be it Leh Apex Body or KDA are demanding a UT with the legislature or to be included in the sixth schedule. While in J&K, there will be a Chief Minister, Assembly and Ministers which will be run by the people of J&K while on the other hand, that will not be the case with Ladakh. We also want legislative power and I think the government should consider our demands of a four-point agenda seriously. Our people are still on hunger strike after walking for almost a month covering thousands of km from Leh to Delhi. Currently, under the leadership of Sonam Wangchuk, there are 20-25 people on hunger strike in Delhi. We feel very sad when the government does not listen to us and I request the government to listen to us and soon there should be a democratic set-up in Ladakh. Besides, the government should resume the talks with the high power committee soon. Until and unless there are discussions, there will be no solutions.”
P.T. Kunzang BJP spokesperson said there was a “discussion going on at the Centre on strengthening the two Hill Councils” in Ladakh.
“So sooner or later, after a few years Ladakh will also probably be given UT with the legislature,” he said.
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