The reorganisation of the State of Jammu & Kashmir could well begin from the backward Ladakh province as local leaders of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, opposition National Conference and Congress, as well as heads of various religious and cultural organisations and civil society groups, have united to urge Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh to bestow Union Territory status upon the region.

They are hopeful of a sympathetic response from the Centre because of the need to fortify the territory of this sensitive State in the wake of the gruesome attack on the Uri base camp (on the night of September 18) and the surgical strike by the Indian Army on terrorist bases in Pakistan occupied Kashmir on the night of September 28, which met with an unsatisfactory response from the State’s political establishment.

While Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti laid a wreath on the coffins of the Uri martyrs, she refrained from supporting the Army action in POK. Jammu & Kashmir is also the only State that has failed to announce ex-gratia relief to the two slain soldiers who belong to the State.

In deference to PDP susceptibilities, Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh carried on with a pre-arranged programme in Leh, rather than pay respects to the Uri martyrs, a fact that went down badly in Jammu and Ladakh. Despite a public clamour, he also failed to raise the issue of ex-gratia for the fallen soldiers with the coalition partner. As a result, the State BJP maintained silence on the subject, to the chagrin of their own cadres.

Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ladakh, Thupstan Chhewang, had recently begun to articulate the demand for UT status for Ladakh, a poll promise that the BJP had set aside after sweeping the Leh-Ladakh Council elections in 2015. While it cannot be ruled out that he received a nudge from the Centre, the State BJP has maintained silence on the issue. The PDP is hostile to the proposition.

Chhewang was backed by civil society groups in Jammu that have been demanding trifurcation of the State (with bifurcation of the valley) to distance themselves from the Kashmir Valley and get a fair share of the fruits of development. Both Jammu and Ladakh have long held grievances that the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley has cornered the giant share of State resources since 1947, but remains disaffected from the Union of India, while leaving other regions backward and underdeveloped. Anxiety to delink from the Kashmir Valley has heightened since the current spate of violence following the death of Hizbul Mujahidin commander Burhan Wani on July 8.

The sudden local unity for UT status came as a shock to the PDP leadership. The BJP State unit maintained silence, but the PDP reacted sharply, expelling Leh district president Tashi Gayalson (October 4) from the primary membership of the party for signing the memorandum supporting UT status for Ladakh province. A party spokesperson later explained that the PDP was opposed to dividing the State on regional and religious lines – Ladakh is mainly Buddhist and Jammu is largely Hindu.

But the crux of the matter is that trifurcation will end the valley’s domination of the undivided State; it will then get Central grants in proportion to its size. At present, Kashmir corners the funds of all three regions on account of the power vested in Srinagar due to the unequal delimitation of seats in favour of the valley.

While there have always been voices in favour of UT status in Ladakh, for the first time ever, the local heads of all political parties, religious communities and civil societies of Leh overcame political and religious differences to jointly plead for UT status “on behalf of tribal people of Ladakh”.

In a joint memorandum to the visiting Union Home Minister on October 3, representatives of the BJP, Congress, PDP and NC and religious heads of the Buddhist, Shia, Sunni, Sufia Noorbaksh and Christian communities of Leh urged the Government of India to consider the demand for UT status with a legislature for Ladakh.

Reports say that the delegation members met on October 1, under the auspices of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, and finalised their plan of action. It was agreed that they would jointly meet the Union Home Minister to demand UT status, and no group or individual would meet him separately. Nor would any other demand be raised at the meeting. Later, Rajnath Singh conceded that the representatives he had met “have only one demand and that is a UT status for Ladakh”.

The memorandum stated that, “Given the prevailing situation in Jammu and Kashmir, all of us are committed to realisation of long-standing demand for granting the Union Territory status to Ladakh. We appeal to the Government of India in one voice to consider our demand”. The members stressed that UT status with legislature was imperative for speedy development of the hilly region.

Rajnath Singh’s visit to Leh and Kargil is intended to placate the people of Ladakh who have long complained that Central leaders often visit Srinagar but do not find time to meet the representatives of Ladakh and Jammu, or the non-Muslim minorities of the State.

The delegation comprised Thupstan Chhewang, Ladakh MP; Chhering Dorje, Minister for Cooperatives and Ladakh Affairs; Sonam Dawa Lonpo, Chairman, Leh council; Nawang Rigzin Jora, Leh MLA; Deldan Namgyal, Nubra MLA; Tsewang Thinles, president, Ladakh Buddhist Association; Ashraf Ali Barcha, president, Anjuman Imamia, Leh; Sheikh Saifuddin, president, Anjuman Moin Ul Islam, Leh; Ghulam Mohammad, president, Sufia Noorbaksh, Leh; Dechen Chamga, president, Christian Community, Leh; Tsewang Gonbo, Leh BJP president; Tsering Samphel, Leh district Congress president; Tashi Gyalsan, Leh PDP president; and Sonam Angdus Lachumir, Leh NC president.

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