Four people died in Ladakh’s Leh on Wednesday in violence that erupted during protests, led by activist Sonam Wangchuk, demanding statehood and extension of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution turned. The protesters set the BJP office and several vehicles in Leh on fire.
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Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, supported by members of Leh Apex Body (LAB), started a hunger strike in Leh on September 10 to demand statehood for Ladakh.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the flood-affected villages in Reasi district, Jammu and Kashmir CM Omar Abdullah said the lieutenant governor-led Ladakh administration should see why it failed in the first place to take necessary measures to maintain peace.
‘Had Congress been so powerful…’: What Omar said
Asked about the BJP blaming the Congress for the violence in Leh on Wednesday, Abdullah said, “The government (in Ladakh) is theirs (BJP’s). When they fail, they blame someone else.
“Had the Congress been so powerful that it could cause riots in Ladakh, why didn’t the party form the council (in October 2020)? Who won the last council elections in Ladakh? The BJP, while the Congress lost badly. When things go wrong, the BJP people always come up with excuses,” PTI news agency quoted Omar Abdullah as saying.
Ladakh – which became a Union territory in August 2019 after abrogation of Article 370 – is governed by a Lieutenant Governor Kavinder Gupta, a BJP leader.
The BJP has accused Congress of fueling the violent protests, claiming that its councillor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag was seen “participating in the violence”. Tsepag was reportedly booked for allegedly making a provocative speech at the hunger strike venue on Tuesday.
Omar Abdullah on Thursday accused the BJP of having a habit of blaming others.
Omar Abdullah added the violence in Leh was the result of the administration’s failure. “When such things happen, it is the administration which is the first to fail. The administration should see why it failed. Blaming someone else will not not help,” he said.
The chief minister also said the situation in Ladakh was bad and it was very unfortunate that four lives were lost and many others injured.
“I would appeal to people to not take the law in their hands, and follow the path of peace. The government of India should pay attention to their legitimate demands,” Omar Abdullah said.
Omar Abdullah also said that he would like to see a peaceful atmosphere prevailing in the region, along with brotherhood between Kargil and Leh.
“They asked for a Union territory, and got it. Let them progress as much as they can under the UT,” Omar Abdullah said.
What BJP leaders said
BJP leader Amit Malviya on Wednesday accused the Congress of “rioting” in Ladakh and attacked Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, alleging the involvement of his aide in the violence.
Amit Malviya posted on X, “This man rioting in Ladakh is Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, Congress Councillor for Upper Leh Ward. He can be clearly seen instigating the mob and participating in violence that targeted the BJP office and the Hill Council. Is this the kind of unrest Rahul Gandhi has been fantasising about?”
Responding to the allegations, activist Sonam Wangchuk said that he doesn’t believe the Congress holds such influence over the Ladakh youth to mobilise them for protests.
“Congress doesn’t have such influence here that it can manage to get 5000 youth on the roads,” Wangchuk said in a press conference on Wednesday.
