MoS Home arrives in Leh for talks with leaders from both Kargil and Leh over their demands
Leh: The Union Territory of Ladakh on Saturday observed complete bandh to press their demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards under VIth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
The call for bandh was jointly given by Apex Body of Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance over alleged delay in the holding of dialogue by the Central Government with people of both the districts of the Union Territory.
All the political, social and religious organizations in both the Leh and Kargil districts, irrespective of their political and religious ideology, have joined hands to press the Centre grant statehood to Ladakh and provide them safeguards as enshrined in the VIth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, apart from framing a recruitment policy envisaging government jobs in Ladakh only for the the locals and separate Lok Sabha seats for both Leh and Kargil districts.
Significantly, BJP MP from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who had on August 5, 2019 in the Lok Sabha vociferously supported the abrogation of Article 370 guaranteeing special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir saying that the people of Ladakh have been struggling for UT status for the past 71 years, is now himself a part of the Apex Committee which is demanding statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh under Vith Schedule.
Though the Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs arrived Leh on Saturday for talks with both the Kargil Democratic Alliance and Apex Body Leh, the latter decided to go ahead with the bandh.