Kargil: The Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Kargil, has passed a resolution, demanding statehood, the extension of the Sixth Schedule, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts. On November 10, the BJP-led Leh LAHDC too had passed a resolution, seeking constitutional safeguards.
Punchok Tashi, an executive councillor of the LAHDC, Kargil, submitted the resolution saying there was an increasing resentment among the Ladakhi people regarding the public representation since the special status was scrapped. “It has further given rise to apprehensions among the public with regards to safeguarding land, jobs, culture and ecology,” read the resolution.
It said Ladakh should be given full-fledged statehood in view of its strategic importance and the unique geography and culture of the region. With the re-organisation of the erstwhile state of J&K in 2019, Ladakh has only one public representative in the Parliament.
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“MP elections pit the people of Kargil against those of Leh as there is only one seat. Rift among the local populace of this strategic location may also prove detrimental to national security. Communal harmony in such a sensitive region becomes of paramount importance where India faces two warring and belligerent neighbours," it added.
Referring to now-revoked provisions granting special status to J&K under Article 370 and 35-A, the resolution said, “The protections provided regarding land, culture, jobs, and ecology were no more there. Hence, it has been unanimously agreed across all strata of Ladakh that only the sixth schedule of the Constitution can ensure due protection.”
Tashi termed the passing of the resolution “a historic day”. “The resolution was accepted by the majority councilors of the LAHDC,” he said. Ladakh was carved as a separate union territory from erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. The people of the region have been protesting for statehood. Kargil and Leh leaders have formed an apex body and sought statehood from the BJP government.
