SANDEEP BHAT
Early Times Report
Jammu, July 17: A day after Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi raised the issue of restoring statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, agitating Ladakhi leaders expressed disappointment over the continued neglect of Ladakh’s long-pending demand for statehood.
Sajad Kargili, a prominent leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and a participant in the talks with the Ministry of Home Affairs’ High-Powered Committee (HPC), criticized the Congress leadership for failing to mention Ladakh’s statehood demand in their recent letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“We are disheartened that Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, while advocating for Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, have ignored the same legitimate demand from the people of Ladakh,” Kargili said in a social media post. He recalled Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Leh and Kargil in August 2023, during which he had promised to raise all four core demands of Ladakh at the national level.
“Respected Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, your letter only refers to the Sixth Schedule, not statehood. This is deeply disappointing,” Kargili added. He urged the Congress leadership to revise its stand and advocate for both statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, arguing that cons Ladakhi leaders expressed disappointment over the continued neglect of Ladakh’s long-pending demand for statehood.
Sajad Kargili, a prominent leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) criticized the Congress leadership for failing to mention Ladakh’s statehood demand in their recent letter to PM Modi.
Kargili recalled Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Leh and Kargil in August 2023, during which he had promised to raise all four core demands of Ladakh at the national level.
He asked the Congress leadership to revise its stand and advocate for both statehood and the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh
It is pertinent to note that Rahul Gandhi had previously supported the demand for Ladakh’s statehood. In 2021, he moved an adjournment motion in the Lok Sabha seeking a discussion on the issue of granting statehood to Ladakh and including it under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
“I wanted to raise the issue of Ladakh and the struggle of my brothers and sisters there, who are demanding their rights and statehood,” Rahul Gandhi had told reporters outside Parliament after the motion was rejected.
His adjournment notice at the time also called for the formation of a committee comprising representatives from both Leh and Kargil—regions with distinct demographic and political identities. The notice underlined the importance of including members from the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance to deliberate on local demands.
It also urged the government to take urgent steps to ensure unhindered access to traditional pasture lands along the border, which locals say are increasingly restricted.
Despite Rahul Gandhi’s earlier advocacy, Ladakhi leaders now feel their concerns have once again been sidelined in the national discourse—triggering frustration and renewed calls for political accountability. | 