Ladakh leaders stage protest in support of statehood in Jammu
Jammu: Prominent leaders from Ladakh held a protest here on Sunday as part of a campaign to press for their four demands including full statehood for the Union Territory and safeguards under sixth schedule of the Constitution to the region.
The protest demonstration was jointly organised outside the Press Club Jammu by the powerful Leh-based Apex body of peoples movement for the 6th schedule and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
They also announced a protest calendar which includes a rally in Delhi in the third week of February.
“We have decided to stay away from the high-powered committee constituted recently by the ministry of home affairs as the government ignored our four-point agenda and also paid no heed to our suggestion about the composition of the panel,” former MP and chairman Apex body Thupstan Chhewang told reporters.
Flanked by his deputy Tsering Dorjey Lakruk, KDA co-chairpersons Qamar Ali Akhoon and Asgar Ali Karbalai besides other senior leaders affiliated with different non-BJP parties, he said they are not against the dialogue with the government on the issues concerning the people of Ladakh.
“The apex body had two separate meetings with the home minister, while the KDA had one meeting. We have joined hands to safeguard the interests of the people of Ladakh and want the government to make sincere efforts in resolving our demands,” Chhewang said.
Former minister Karbalai said they have been peacefully agitating for their four-point agenda, which also include the creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil districts, recruitment and job reservation for the youth of Ladakh along with creation of a public service commission.