Tsewang Rigzin
LEH, Jan 19: District Congress Committee (DCC) Leh, led by its president Rigzin Namgial, today held a press conference in response to the Ladakh Buddhist Association’s (LBA) call for disbanding all political parties temporarily to strengthen unity and press for Ladakh’s key demands, including Sixth Schedule status and Statehood.
Addressing the media, Namgial said the Congress party is ready to dissolve its Leh district unit if such a step helps Ladakh secure Sixth Schedule status. However, he maintained that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), being the party in power, should take the first step. “If the ruling party dissolves its unit, it will matter the most. Congress will follow suit,” he said.
He reminded that it was the Congress party that consistently raised the issues of Sixth Schedule and Statehood for Ladakh in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha. Senior Congress leaders such as Ambika Soni and Digvijay Singh had raised these demands in Parliament, he said, adding that the Congress party’s 85th Plenary Session had passed a formal resolution in favour of granting Sixth Schedule status to Ladakh, and Rahul Gandhi had brought an adjournment motion in this regard.
“During the recent Lok Sabha elections, the Congress also included the grant of Sixth Schedule to Ladakh in its national manifesto,” Namgial added.
He further recalled that Ladakh Territorial Congress President Nawang Rigzin Jora had on several occasions publicly announced that if the current Government grants Sixth Schedule to Ladakh, the Congress party would not contest any elections, including the Lok Sabha, Municipal Committee Leh, and the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Leh, thereby paving the way for a BJP clean sweep.
Reiterating this position, he said the Congress is prepared to dissolve its Leh district unit if it helps Ladakh achieve Sixth Schedule status, but only after the BJP takes the lead.
On the issue of talks scheduled for February 4, Namgial said the Congress has exited the Leh Apex Body to ensure that the Apex Body remains purely apolitical. However, he clarified that the Congress continues to extend full support to the Leh Apex Body from outside, including assistance in drafting proposals to be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
“What matters is not who participates in the talks, but how Ladakh’s genuine demands are fulfilled,” Rigzin Namgial concluded.
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