New Delhi: The Congress on Friday said the anguish of the people of Ladakh should stir the government’s conscience, urging it to move beyond endless talks and swiftly fulfil their legitimate aspirations.
The remarks came after Wednesday’s violent protests demanding statehood, which left four dead and nearly 90 injured.
Congress communications in-charge Jairam Ramesh recalled that when Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory six years ago, people had high hopes. Instead, he said, they now face “disappointment and disenchantment,” with land and job rights under threat and local governance largely dominated by the Lieutenant Governor and bureaucracy.
He noted that despite repeated meetings, Ladakh’s demands for Sixth Schedule protection and an elected legislature remain unmet. Ramesh also highlighted “great uncertainty” along the Line of Actual Control following China’s unilateral moves and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s June 19, 2020, statement, which he described as a “clean chit” to Beijing.
“Ladakh holds immense cultural, economic, ecological, and strategic significance for India. Its people have always been proud Indians. Their distress must compel the Government of India to act— not with more discussions but by delivering on their aspirations in full, without delay,” Ramesh said in a post on X.
Meanwhile, an uneasy calm prevailed in Ladakh on Thursday, with police and paramilitary forces enforcing a curfew in Leh after Wednesday’s violence. Authorities have detained at least 50 people in connection with the unrest during the shutdown called by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), which is pressing for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections.
