LEH: The union territory wing of Bharatiya Janata Party steered clear from flagging the demand for Ladakh’s inclusion into the sixth schedule of the Constitution as an issue to its national leadership, in a clear indication of its stance on the demand.
A delegation of the saffron party leaders from Ladakh, including the member of parliament Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, however, discussed the demand for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, strengthening the LAHDC Act, and the creation of new districts in Ladakh with BJP National President, J P Nadda.
The detailed meeting took place in New Delhi and was attended by Chairman and Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC Leh Advocate Tashi Gyalson; BJP Ladakh State President, Phunchok Stanzin, and BJP Ladakh General Secretary, Dr Skalzang Dorjey where several issues concerning Ladakh were discussed.
Revealing the party stance on the already divided demand for Ladakh’s inclusion into the sixth schedule of the Constitution, the party leaders abstained from mentioned the same as one of the issues of Ladakh to the party president.
Soon after being reorganised as an union territory, the people of Ladakh had joined hands to demand for region’s inclusion into the Sixth Schedule, with all political and non-political forces passing a resolution for the same.
Though the local BJP unit was initially also a signatory to the resolution, it later maintained distance from the apex body which was formed to press for the demand. Since then, the BJP has not been vocal over its stance over the issue.
Even as Ladakh fails to build a consensus on the issue, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh chief Tashi Gyalson on Tuesday pitched for constitutional safeguards for the region in the meeting with the BJP president.
It is to be mentioned that LAHDC Leh in December last year passed a resolution demanding constitutional safeguards for protection of land, employment, culture, environment and trade, besides granting constitutional legality to the Council.
In the meeting with Nadda, the BJP leaders said that Ladakh has a distinct social cultural identity, a highly sensitive environment and strategic location, and that the general public has been aspiring for constitutional safeguards.
“Thus, the Union territory be granted with constitutional safeguards for the protection of land, employment, culture, environment and trade, according to the existing, and extent of the provisions of the Constitution, as per the aspiration of people of Ladakh,” Nadda was informed.
The leaders also discussed creation of new administrative units in Ladakh by the means of creation of new districts in the union territory.
CEC Gyalson also discussed with Nadda the amendment of the LAHDC Act to make it more comprehensive and empowered.
The local hill councils, one each in Leh and Kargil, are among the most powerful councils in the country but after the region was made a separate union territory after the reorganisation of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir, there have been demands from various quarters to strengthen the LAHDC Act in the context of the new identity of Ladakh.
On Monday, Gyalson had also met the union minister Dr Jitendra Singh and sought his assistance for further strengthening the Hill Council’s Act in the context of the Union Territory, said an official handout.
The LAHDC Act was last amended in 2018, and continued even under the Union Territory, while the current LAHDC Act makes the Councils the most powerful councils in the country, CEC Gylason has in the past highlighted that some additional steps are needed to strengthen the LAHDC to provide adequate scope to fulfil the development aspirations of people of Ladakh, particularly after Ladakh was made a union territory.
Meanwhile, an official handout released on Tuesday said that the delegation of Ladakh BJP leaders held a meeting with National President BJP, J.P Nadda in New Delhi today to discuss several issues concerning Ladakh.
“The primary focus of the meeting was to discuss the demand for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, the amendment of the LAHDC Act to make it more comprehensive and empowered, and the creation of new districts in Ladakh. Besides, various other developmental issues were also discussed during the meeting,” it said.
