‘KDA consistently placed Leh at the forefront of protests and agitations with the objective of creating friction between Leh and New Delhi’
LEH: Skarma Namtak, Convenor of the Voice of Buddhist Ladakh (VBL), has levelled a series of allegations against the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), claiming that their campaigns for Statehood and inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution are driven by “hidden agendas” rather than genuine efforts to secure the demands.
In a detailed post shared on social media, Namtak alleged that while the two organisations publicly project Statehood and Sixth Schedule as their principal demands, they themselves have acknowledged that Statehood is extremely difficult to achieve. According to him, this indicates that the issues are being deliberately kept alive as long-term political tools to retain public support instead of pursuing a practical roadmap for their implementation.
He claimed that after Ladakh was granted Union Territory status in 2019, certain political groups and leaders became uncomfortable with the longstanding relationship between the people of Leh and the Central Government. Namtak alleged that the KDA consistently placed Leh at the forefront of protests and agitations with the objective of creating friction between Leh and New Delhi.
Referring to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, he further alleged that the movements for Statehood and Sixth Schedule divided the people of Leh while politically uniting Kargil, resulting in the replacement of Ladakh’s lone Buddhist representative in Parliament.
Namtak also claimed that the organisations had engaged the youth of Leh in prolonged protests while allowing youths from Kargil to prepare for employment opportunities in the Union Territory administration. According to him, this was intended to shape the future administrative structure of Ladakh.
The VBL Convenor further alleged that efforts were being made to weaken Ladakh’s Buddhist traditions by targeting Buddhist leaders through derogatory remarks and excluding them from important socio-religious institutions. He also claimed there were attempts to replace the traditional Ladakhi greeting “Juley” with what he termed “imported Arabic words,” alleging that such changes were aimed at altering the region’s cultural identity.
In another allegation, Namtak claimed that encouraging youths to participate in protests and face imprisonment could adversely affect their prospects for government employment, marriage and family life, ultimately impacting Leh’s demographic composition. He also alleged that limited employment opportunities in the transport sector on routes such as Nubra, Pangong, Tsomoriri and Hanle were being shared with people from other districts, while migrants from densely populated areas were being encouraged to settle on vacant land in Leh.
Calling it the “biggest agenda,” Namtak alleged that certain groups were ultimately working towards the re-merger of Ladakh with the former State of Jammu and Kashmir. He also questioned what he described as contradictions in the stand of the organisations, alleging that they opposed the opening of new liquor shops while remaining silent on existing wine shops and bars, and expressed concern over future traders from outside Ladakh while ignoring those who had already established businesses in Leh’s historic market.
Concluding his post, Namtak urged the people of Ladakh to recognise what he described as the “real intentions” behind the ongoing movements before, according to him, it becomes too late.
