Ladakh leaders announce mass agitation to press for statehood

Ladakh leaders announce mass agitation to press for statehood

Call for a strike on December 6

Accusing the BJP-led central government of being non-serious towards the issues and concerns of the people of Ladakh, prominent leaders from the union territory on Saturday announced a mass agitation to press for their four main demands, including full statehood and constitutional safeguards for the region.

Govt has failed to meet demands
The entire Ladakh region is united in support of our jointly chalked out agenda. The government has not shown seriousness towards addressing the demands of Ladakh. Asgar Ali Karbalai, Co-chairman of Kargil Democratic Alliance

The Leh-based Apex body of People’s Movement for 6th Schedule and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) jointly called for a general strike on December 6, followed by public rallies and mass contact programmes in both Leh and Kargil districts in March coinciding with “improved weather conditions”.

Announcing the programme at a joint press conference after the third round of talks between the two powerful bodies of the region, chairman of the Apex body and former MP Thupstan Chhewang and co-chairman of KDA Asgar Ali Karbalai said they decided to step up agitation in support of their demands, which also included one more Lok Sabha seat and two Rajya Sabha seats, besides a special recruitment drive for the local youth to fill up over 10,000 vacancies in Ladakh.

Both the Apex body and the KDA, which is a separate amalgam of socio-religious, political and youth organisations of Leh and Kargil districts, were formed after August 5, 2019, development when the Centre abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated it into union territories of J&K and Ladakh. The Ladakh BJP was also part of the Apex body but later distanced itself after it raised the demand for full statehood.

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