What is Leh leaders’ logic behind demand for UT status?

Sitting Member of Parliament from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal while talking to EXCELSIOR on telephone from Parliament House said:

“Getting freedom from the Kashmiri rulers by granting Union Territory status to Ladakh region was main and long pending demand of people, which has finally been met with”.

Dubbing the decision as historic, the Member of Parliament said:

“No doubt Union Territory with legislature would have been much better decision but we are largely satisfied as our several decades long struggle has finally reached the logical conclusion”, adding “it is a fact that political space has shrunk with the grant of UT status without legislature but everyone must keep in mind that to achieve something you have to lose something”.

Strongly demanding continuation of Autonomous Hill Development Council mechanism in both Leh and Kargil districts, Namgyal said:

“We hope this aspect would be taken care of by the Union Government while issuing formal orders vis-a-vis Union Territory of Ladakh”.

Former Member of Parliament Thupstan Chhewang, while talking to EXCELSIOR from Leh, said:

“We have finally been liberated from the Kashmiri rulers, who did nothing to empower the people of Ladakh and redress their grievances… Under Kashmiri rulers Ladakh always suffered a lot but now we are heading towards a bright future”.

Admitting that Union Territory with legislature would have been much better decision, the former MP said:

“Still we are satisfied as now it would be very convenient to get laws for the benefits of the people of Ladakh region passed from the Parliament which was not the case with the State Legislative Assembly… We never received any cooperation from the Kashmiri rulers in the State Legislative Assembly in resolving the issues confronting the people of entire Ladakh region… Now we will make efforts to get entire Ladakh declared as tribal area, which is also our long pending demand”.

Former MLA from Nubra Deldan Namgyal said:

“No doubt Union Territory status is a welcome decision but sentiments of the people would have been completely respected only with UT and legislature as is being done in case of other parts of the State… By resorting to decision without taking representatives of people into confidence the Union Government has restricted the flow of democracy to the region”.

Opinion:

The only logic articulated by leaders from Leh in favour of Union Territory status is “End of Kashmiri Dominance”. What type of dominance they had is hard for them to explain. Because nothing such exist on the ground in terms of politics, economy or culture.

Secondly they are ignoring the fact that the abrogation of Article 370 welcomes the non-Ladakhis to hold land in Ladakh. They will change the demography of the region. The identity, unique culture, language, all are on the verge of extinction. Ladakh’s economy will be dominated by the outsiders.

The Leaders have be-fooled the people in Ladakh. #Article370toGaya

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