Oppon blames BJP’s ‘breach of promise’ on statehood for violence in Ladakh

New Delhi: The opposition parties on Thursday blamed the BJP for the recent violence in Ladakh, alleging that the ruling party's “breach of promise” on statehood and restoration of power to the region triggered people's anger, as they asked the Centre to engage in “meaningful dialogues” with the protesters.

A day after clashes between security personnel and protesters demanding statehood and constitutional protection left four people dead and more than 80 injured in Ladakh, an uneasy calm prevailed in the region on Thursday as police and paramilitary troops strictly enforced a curfew in Leh.

The Congress trained its guns on the ruling BJP, alleging that the crisis in Ladakh was the government's own creation, and calling the demand for inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution for its dignity and for the protection of its identity “legitimate” and “just”.

Terming the loss of precious lives in Ladakh tragic, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X, “It's a grim reminder of the government's failed promises. In 2019, from the floor of Parliament, the nation was assured that the humiliation being inflicted on the people of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir then would usher in peace. Six years later, the trouble has only deepened.”

"This crisis is the BJP government's own creation – one it now seeks to unfairly ignore," he said. Ladakh's demand for inclusion under the Sixth Schedule for dignity and for the protection of its identity is both legitimate and just, Khera said.

It deserves not neglect, but compassion and statesmanship, the Congress leader said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav too blamed the BJP for the violent protests in Ladakh, alleging that the ruling party's "breach of promise" to Ladakhis triggered angry protests.

“The BJP assured the leaders, council members and representatives of Ladakh that statehood and powers would be restored. Profiteering is not the only form of corruption, breaking promises is also corruption. The breach of promise by the BJP is the reason their office was set ablaze (on Wednesday),” Yadav said.

“Since Ladakh is a sensitive border state, the government should have honoured the demands of its people. Only then can peace and prosperity come to the region,” he said.

“This is the same state where Chinese troops intruded only a few days ago. To secure such borders, the government must listen to the demands of the border states and allocate more budget for their development,” Yadav pointed out.

AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said what is happening in Ladakh today is extremely alarming and every true patriot should stand with the people of the Union territory.

“Did we take freedom from the British just so that the public would become slaves to the BJP instead of the British? Revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad sacrificed their lives for democracy so that every Indian has the right to choose their own government.

“But today, the BJP, intoxicated by the addiction of power, is turning one state after another into a Union territory, snatching away the rights granted by the Constitution,” Kejriwal said in a post on X. He also accused the BJP of suppressing the voice of people in Ladakh, adding that despite repeated promises, it is not giving them the right to vote.

“Democracy is the voice of the people... And when the government starts suppressing that very voice, it becomes the duty of the people to speak even louder.

“If we want to save democracy, we cannot remain silent against this dictatorship anymore. Today's fight in Ladakh could become the fight of the entire country tomorrow,” Kejriwal said.

Condemning the “brutal repression” in Ladakh by the government, the CPI-M held the Centre responsible for creating the circumstances that led to violence in a traditionally peaceful place, and urged it to engage in “meaningful dialogue”.

“Frustrated by the government's callous disregard for their legitimate demands and the refusal to address their concerns through several rounds of negotiations over the past three years, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and other people's organisations launched a peaceful hunger strike that lasted 15 days.

“Instead of engaging in a meaningful dialogue, the Central government chose to respond with forceful arrests of those who went on hunger strike, which only led to widespread protests and unrest among the people,” the CPI-M said in a statement. CPI's P Sandosh Kumar said the basic problem is the inaction of the Union government, which has not taken any steps for the restoration of statehood to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh so far. He said violence has no place in a democracy but political solutions need to be provided by the government. The problem of BJP is it will always blame someone else (for its failures), Kumar said.

“The Union government is responsible for this. People's sentiments can't be repressed like this. Genuine demands must be understood and statehood should be restored,” he said.

In a post on X, Trinamool Congress’ Mahua Moitra said, “Ladakh has waited patiently for years. None of the Centre's promises to Ladakhis have been fulfilled. To now label them as 'deshdrohis' is disgusting."

Appealing to the people of Ladakh to maintain peace, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah came out in defence of the Congress and said it is the BJP's habit to blame others for its own failures, and the violence in Leh was no different.

On BJP blaming the Congress for the violence on Wednesday, Abdullah said, “The government (in Ladakh) is theirs (BJP's). When they fail, they blame someone else. When such things happen, it is the administration which is the first to fail. The administration should see why it failed. Blaming someone else will not help.”

National Conference president Farooq Abdullah said the Centre should hold talks with the people of Ladakh to address their aspirations. “I want to tell the government that it (Ladakh) is a border state. China is lurking, they have occupied land. It is time to resolve the issue quickly. The government should hold talks and resolve it,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.