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After 3 Years As Union Territory, Massive Protests Break Out In Ladakh For Statehood And Recognition
Writer: Jayali Wavhal
She writes about gender issues, human interest, and environment.
Ladakh, 3 Nov 2022 12:07 PM GMT
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A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Creatives : Jayali Wavhal
She writes about gender issues, human interest, and environment.
The long-growing protest in Ladakh is a consequence of the central government's supposed unwillingness to give locals exclusive rights over land and shrinking jobs. It gained the status of a UT following J&K Reorganisation Act 2019.
Several Ladakh residents marched in protest on Wednesday to press for full statehood and recognition. The long-growing protest is a consequence of the central government's supposed unwillingness to give locals exclusive rights over land and shrinking jobs.
The protests are primarily being staged around Leh by the Leh Apex Body -- an alliance of political, social and religious bodies from Christian, Buddhist and Muslim communities in 2020, reported The Telegraph.
Full Statehood For Ladakh
Following the complete shutdown that the region observed in December 2021, this protest is the first significant show of agitation. Besides its capital Leh, several protest marches were also carried out across the Union Territory (UT) of Ladakh.
The protesters, under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, are demanding full statehood for the UT, which received its status after being carved out from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) as a consequence of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019.
Besides the Leh Apex Body, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) is also protesting in the Kargil Division, pressing for similar rights.
A Look At Other Demands Of Ladakhis
The coalition of these two associations has decided on October 26 to begin an agitation for their demands comprising a four-point list.
While they demand full statehood for Ladakh, they also demand constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule and an increase in the number of Ladakh's Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha seats to "strengthen the representation and participation" in India's democratic process. Lastly, they also demand early recruitment to end the employment crisis that has plagued the region for a while now.
The protests have been brewing for too long; however, they reached a boiling point when several Ladakhis lost reservations over land and jobs following the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019.
While the representative bodies have called the protest "sustained agitation", the protests are likely to continue for a year. The associations have made it clear that they are willing to go on hunger strikes and rallies until their demands are fulfilled.
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