Five years after the withdrawal of Article 370, Ladakh feels disempowered. Although the centre has announced some safeguards to address the region’s anxiety about potential demographic changes, the move has failed to resonate with the people of Ladakh. A report by Riyaz Wani
On February 6, thousands of protesters, braving intense cold, gathered at the Polo Ground in Leh. The speeches at the gathering, including those by prominent Ladakhi leaders and activists like Sonam Wangchuk, sought the fulfilment of the promises made by the Union government.
The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) which are spearheading the agitation, are demanding special rights and statehood for Ladakh, which was downgraded to a Union territory without a legislature on August 5, 2019. Prior to that, Ladakh was a part of Jammu and Kashmir, which also was made a union territory. The unprecedented step followed the withdrawal of Article 370 that granted the then undivided state a special constitutional position within the Indian Union.
Ironically, the Buddhist majority Leh district in the region had then celebrated the separation from J&K and the grant of union territory status. A UT status was a popular demand from the region going back to the nineties. Once the unimaginable demand was suddenly fulfilled in 2019, Ladakhis have slowly become conscious of drawbacks of the move which they think has disempowered them and also made them vulnerable to demographic change. Hence, the demand for constitutional safeguards under 6th Schedule.
In the new scheme of things, the democratically elected Ladakh Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs), both of Leh and Muslim majority Kargil, which acted autonomously in undivided J&K have become redundant. The region is now directly ruled by the centre through a Lieutenant Governor. So, LAHDCs effectively mean little for regional empowerment.
Ladakhis have now been making a strong pitch for statehood for the region. But the region hardly qualifies for statehood with a population of just over three lakh. This has created a quandary for the union government. More so, at a time when it has no immediate plans to even restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir.
The total population of Ladakh, according to the 2011 census is 2.74 lakh. While Leh with a population of 1,33,487 is Buddhist majority, Kargil with a population of 1,40,802 is Muslim majority. Overall, Ladakh has a slim Muslim majority.
The fear of the change in demography has brought the people of Leh and Kargil together. It is the first time in decades, the two Ladakh districts have been on the same page in pressing the union government to fulfill their demands for statehood and protection of rights.
