Ladakh Wants MORE

While the Union Territory has welcomed the abrogation of Article 370, it is demanding Sixth Schedule status and full statehood

- Naseer Ganai

CELEBRATIONS erupted at the main market in Leh on August 5, 2019, soon after the BJP government in Parliament announced the abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) into Union Territories—J&K and Ladakh. While Kashmir reeled under a curfew-like situation, the atmosphere in Leh was different. Residents gathered at the main chowk in Leh to commemorate the event. At the time, the Ladakh Buddhist Association thanked the BJP government for turning Ladakh into a Union Territory and fulfilling the long-standing aspirations of the people.

However, on December 11, when the Supreme Court of India gave its verdict on the bunch of petitions challenging the scrapping of Article 370, upholding the abrogation and granting Ladakh the status of a Union Territory, there were no such celebrations in Leh.

Thupstan Chhewang, a former MP and now the president of the Leh Apex Body, also called the People’s Movement for 6th Schedule for Ladakh, however, hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict. He described the verdict “as a strong step in the direction of strengthening national integration”, but at the same time, he called for granting statehood to Ladakh. The Leh Apex Body, which is an amalgam of various religious and political organisations of Leh district, including the Ladakh Buddhist Association, welcomed the Supreme Court’s observations about the early restoration of J&K’s statehood and holding polls in J&K before September 2024.