Congress criticizes Amit Shah’s Ladakh visit over silence on key local demands
New Delhi: The Congress party has criticized Indian Home Minister Amit Shah over his visit to Ladakh for ignoring key long-standing demands of the local population, including statehood and inclusion of the region under the Sixth Schedule of the Indian constitution, while “basking in the glory of the Piprahwa relics”.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a post on X, Congress General Secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said, “The HM [Home Minister] is in Ladakh basking in the glory of the Piprahwa relics, while remaining silent on the demands of the people there for Statehood, Sixth Schedule status, and protection of land and employment.”.
Amit Shah arrived in Ladakh on Thursday for a two-day visit to view the Buddhist relics. This marks his first visit to the region since protests erupted in September, last year, in which four protesters were killed in Indian forces’ firing.
The Congress has repeatedly urged New Delhi to clarify its position on Ladakh’s demands, including full statehood, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule, and legal protections for land, jobs, and local resources.
Following the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the bifurcation of Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories—Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh—the latter has remained without a legislature, fueling concerns among residents over political representation and control over land and resources.
Local groups argue that the absence of constitutional safeguards has placed Ladakh’s fragile ecosystem, cultural identity, and employment opportunities at risk.
By 2022, the residents had four demands: statehood to Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts and the rollout of a recruitment process and a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh. The Sixth Schedule guarantees protection to land and a degree of autonomy for India’s tribal areas. These demands have been spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which have been jointly coordinating protests since 2020.
