In Ladakh, BJP faces peculiar situation in fulfilling election commitment on 6th Schedule

Party promised 6th Schedule safeguards in 2019 & 2020 polls; protesting groups using BJP manifestos as ‘political tool’

Jammu: The poll promise to declare Ladakh as a tribal area under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution has turned into a major challenge for the BJP in the arid region, with opposition parties leveraging the party’s election manifestos released during the 2019 parliamentary elections and 2020 Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh poll to mount pressure on the Saffron party ahead of Lok Sabha polls.
The BJP is facing intense political pressure from various religious, social and political groups, evident from its delay in finalizing its candidate for the lone Lok Sabha seat in Ladakh, which it won consecutively in the 2014 and 2019 elections.
The region has been witnessing widespread protests and growing resentment that has made the candidate selection process more challenging for the party despite the fact that the BJP fulfilled the decades-long pending demand of Ladakhi people by granting it (Ladakh) as the status of a separate Union Territory in 2019.
The situation has escalated after several rounds of unsuccessful talks between the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and representatives of the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). These talks have failed to produce any concrete results, exacerbating the already tense environment.
The protesting groups are using the BJP’s 2019 Lok Sabha and the 2020 LAHDC election manifestos as “political ammunition” against the party, accusing it of betraying the people of Ladakh. Both the election manifestos of the BJP are being circulated among the people of Ladakh, both physically and through social media, to exert more pressure on the party.
In the BJP’s election manifesto for Ladakh Constituency for 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the party, at point number three, had promised “declaration of Ladakh under Sixth Schedule of Indian Constitution (Tribal Area)”.
After winning the sole Lok Sabha seat in the region, the party reiterated its commitment, during the 2020 LAHDC Leh elections, to implement the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, stating, “Aspirations and vision of Ladakhis from all spheres of life are kept in mind, including the prime demand of Ladakhis for safeguards under the provision of 6th Schedule”.
Several eyebrows are being raised at the BJP’s Central Election Committee (CEC) decision not to announce the candidate for the Ladakh Parliamentary constituency, for the time being, while announcing to repeat two sitting Lok Sabha members of Jammu and Udhampur segments.
Sources within the party claimed that the panel of potential candidates for the Ladakh Lok Sabha seat has been forwarded to the party high command but the central leadership has reportedly taken note of the escalating protests in the region, particularly in support of two key demands: statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
Prominent innovator from Ladakh Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently on 21-day-long ‘climate fast’ (extendable till death) started on March 6, has been vociferously raising the issue of BJP’s election promises and accused the party of “betraying” the people of Ladakh by not fulfilling its promises made to the people of Ladakh.
“It seems that BJP has saved us from kidnappers but then put us in the marketplace for sale along with our mothers and sisters…this eco sensitive region is today out there for sale” he has said while stepping his attack on the Saffron party.
He has further said, “This is not just for Ladakh. It's also to heal the trust deficit in India... Today people don't trust each other, they don't even trust leaders or the election process of EVMs. Ladakh was promised 6th Schedule Safeguards twice in election manifestos but now the government backtracked after winning 2 elections. Through this struggle we want to set a good precedence for all times to come”.
Pertinently, the BJP won the Ladakh Parliamentary seat for two successive Lok Sabha elections. In the 2014 Lok Sabha election, veteran politician ThupstanChhewang had won this seat as BJP candidate by a margin of only 36 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP candidate Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, who was then sitting Chairman-cum-CEC of LAHDC Leh recorded an impressive victory margin of 10,930 votes over NC, PDP, and Islamiya School Kargil joint candidate, Sajjad Kargili. Namgayal polled 42,914 votes as against Sajjad Karigili’s 31984.
Two other candidates in the fray in Ladakh were Haji Asgar Karbalaie, former Congress MLA from Kargil, and Rigzin Spalbar (Congress) finished third and fourth with 29365 and 21241 votes respectively. Karbalaie had contested the election as an Independent.

Updated On 3/11/2024 12:51:33 AM