BJP tries to regain ground in Ladakh

The recently held mega rally organised by Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) with support of all religious and trade bodies for the demand of Union Territory (UT) status for Ladakh with legislature powers has shown that this time it will not be easy for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to retain the parliamentary segment of this region.

Following the BJP top leader Thupstan Chhewang’s resignation from the basic membership and parliamentary seat of Ladakh, the party has not been able to get the support back. In the urban local bodies and panchayat elections, the BJP drew blank as Thupstan Chhewang got his entire supporters out of the party.

Senior BJP leader and MLC Chering Dorjay, who is the front runner for the party ticket from Ladakh said that it was up to the party leadership to decide on the mandate. He said that party’s Ladakh unit has recommended the name of Thupstan Chhewang and it was not yet known whether he would rejoin the party. Dorjay told this newspaper that they all want Chhewang back in the party fold and he was the natural choice for the parliamentary elections. But if Thupstan Chhewang does not accept the party offer, the mandate will naturally go to Dorjay.

The LBA procession in Leh has shown that the BJP will have to walk the talk about the grant of UT status to the Ladakh region. Congress unit of Ladakh is all set to start its campaign on the broken promise of UT status to the Ladakh by the BJP government. LBA chief Tsewang Thinles told that the people of Ladakh will not accept anything short of UT status with all powers of legislation. He said that all the previous governments at the Central and state levels have ignored Ladakh region.

With Congress all set to go for vigorous campaign in Ladakh region for the parliamentary elections, BJP is finding it difficult to regain the ground as Congress leader Nawang Rigzin Jora has accused BJP of betraying the people of Ladakh.