New Delhi: Discontent is brewing in the BJP over denial of ticket to the sitting MP from Ladakh.
Once hailed as the poster boy of the BJP in Ladakh, Tsering Namgyal recollected how he travelled the length and breadth of the region in the past five years
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) announced chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in Leh as its candidate for the UT’s lone Lok Sabha seat, sitting MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal expressed his resentment saying he would deliberate on the issue with his supporters before taking a call on his future action.
Soon after his arrival at Leh airport, a swarm of supporters gathered around him and chanted slogans in his support.
“There may be reasons to give mandate to Tashi Gyalson, but see the volunteers, they have come on their own without any intimation and are expressing their sentiment and aspirations. I am emotional now and I won’t be able to pinpoint the reason behind the party’s decision,” he told mediapersons.
“Every day I worked for the development of the UT and its people. We performed well in LAHDC Kargil and retained Leh hill development council. We restored BJP’s glory in the region and I think I did my bit,” he said.
The visibly upset Namgyal said he had sought reasons from senior party leaders over him being denied the party ticket.
“I tried to know from the senior party leaders that I stray from the party ideology, underperformed in the parliament, misbehaved with anyone or did I commit any scam. Even my supporters are at wit’s end and they also didn’t expect this decision. Though we are not against the BJP and we purely go by the party ideology, I will meet with my people in the next couple of days and deliberate upon the issue before we take a collective decision,” he said.
Namgyal said the people were not ready to accept BJP’s decision of fielding Tashi Gyalson.
“We congratulate Tashi Gyalson for the party mandate but several workers are not happy. This also raises a question that by doing so, would BJP be able to retain the seat?,” he said.
Ladakh’s population is simmering with discontent against the BJP over Centre’s failure to accord protection under the Constitution’s sixth schedule and statehood to the UT.
It is in this backdrop that BJP on Tuesday announced Tashi Gyalson, the chairperson-cum-chief executive councillor of LAHDC in Leh, as its candidate from Ladakh.
Leh Apex Body co-chairperson and former minister Chering Dorje Lakruk, said, “The BJP has sidelined Namgyal, probably a move to soothe frayed nerves of the people but people are still very angry with the saffron party.”
He asserted that constant denial of sixth schedule and statehood to Ladakh has fuelled strong resentment among the people of Ladakh against the BJP.
Recently activist Sonam Wangchuk had observed fast for a fortnight in Leh to press the demand for granting statehood to Ladakh.
Widespread protests were also seen in Leh but the Centre did not pay any heed to it.