A senior BJP leader from Ladakh on Saturday accused Congress of trying to regain the lost ground in the Union Territory through “divisive politics” by provoking the youth on “false pretext”. Leh district president of BJP Dorje Angchuk claimed that Congress Rajya Sabha member Ambika Soni is trying to create a scare among the Ladakhis by predicting threat to their resources and rich cultural identity.

Cautioning that situation in Ladakh may turn alarming, Soni on Friday demanded inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to protect its resources and rich cultural identity. “Till now Congress has been relying on the false promise of UT to lure the voters but failed to fulfil the promise despite being in power for decades and now that the BJP has met the aspiration of the people of Ladakh by making it a UT, which Congress opposed in the Parliament, it is now trying to divide the people by creating fear in their minds,” Dorje said reacting to her statement in the Rajya Sabha.

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He said, “the fear, apprehension and disenchantment among Ladakhis as claimed by Soni is a product of her sinister mind to provoke the people of Ladakh by creating an issue in the form of sixth schedule”. Dorje said while sixth schedule permits creation of separate administrative councils for protecting the tribal rights of the identified tribes of the four north eastern states, the people of Ladakh already have two highly empowered Autonomous District Hill Councils for Leh and Kargil.

“We have full faith in these Councils which have been given additional powers lately to safeguard the interests of the people and develop the area,” he said. Allaying the apprehensions of the people, Dorje assured them that Para 58 (2) of Part IV of J&K Reorganisation Act of 2019 clearly states, “The President may make regulations for the peace, progress and good government of the Union territory of Ladakh under article 240 of the Constitution of India.”

“Any law needed to safeguard their interest will be made,” he said.

Similarly, the land rights of the people have been protected by retaining the land laws that were prevalent in the erstwhile state prior to abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, the BJP leader said and advised the people to carefully study Table 2 of Schedule 5 of the Reorganisation Act and not get carried away by the false and motivated propaganda of certain vested interests.