Ladakh Comes To Standstill: Thousands March For Statehood And Constitutional Safeguards In Unison

Ladakh observed a complete shutdown as thousands marched demanding statehood and constitutional protections under the sixth schedule for the Union Territory. Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance jointly organized the protests.

In freezing conditions, thousands of men and women marched through Leh, chanting demands for Ladakh’s statehood, the enforcement of the Constitution’s sixth schedule, and separate seats in parliament for the districts of Leh and Kargil.

The shutdown was observed despite the Center’s announcement that it would convene a second round of talks with representatives of the Kargil Democratic Alliance and the Leh Apex Body.

To address the demands of the people of Ladakh, a high-powered committee was constituted by the center, headed by Minister of State (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai.

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The people of Ladakh said they couldn’t live under an unending bureaucratic rule in the Union Territory and only a full statehood – where they elect their representatives to govern the region – could fulfill their demand.

The Centre’s first meeting in Ladakh was held in December, where The Centre asked both the bodies from Leh and Kargil to submit their demands.

In August 2019, Ladakh was separated as a Union Territory, after Article 370 was scrapped and the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated and downgraded into two Union Territories.

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However, in just two years, the people of Kargil and Leh felt politically dispossessed and united against the Centre.

They have staged numerous protests over the past two years to demand statehood and constitutional protections for their unique identity, jobs, and land—all of which they were previously afforded under Article 370.