After holding a protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on Wednesday to highlight their demands, the agitating groups of Ladkah are now waiting for the response of the Union Government. Instead of announcing a calendar for their ongoing agitation, these groups have decided to give some time to the BJP-led government at the Centre to open a channel of communication to discuss their demands.
"Before announcing our future course of action we will give some time to the Union Government to initiate the dialogue process", Cheering Dorjay former minister and one of the members of the Leh Apex Body told International Bussiness Times.
"Aim of holding a protest at New Delhi was to draw the attention of the nation towards our ongoing agitation for our demands", he said.
Dorjay, who was a minister from BJP quota in the PDP-BJP regime in the erstwhile state of J&K, disclosed that the Centre has sent some feelers to start a dialogue.
"We are not averse to holding talks. Dialogue is the only and ultimate means to solve all issues", he said and announced that the future course of action will be decided during a meeting of all agitating groups at Ladakh.
"Our protests at Jammu and New Delhi were symbolic and our battlefield will be Ladakh only", he said.
Ladakhi groups hold a protest in Delhi on Wednesday
Representatives from Ladakh staged a dharna at the Jantar Mantar in support of their demands. Activists of two frontline organizations—Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and Leh Apex Body (LAB) participated in the protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. Some students of Ladakh, studying in New Delhi and adjoining areas, also attended the dharna.
The KDA and the LAB have been spearheading the agitation in support of their four major demands including full-fledged statehood for Ladakh, implementation of the Sixth Schedule to protect the interest of the tribal people of Ladakh, separate Lok Sabha seats for Kargil and Leh, and establishment of Ladakh Public Service Commission with the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC) as a mandatory requirement for all Gazetted Posts in Ladakh.
Ladakh was carved into a Union Territory without legislature when Articles 370 and 35A were abrogated, and Jammu and Kashmir were bifurcated into two Union Territories. Over the last two years, protests have been held in both Leh and Kargil demanding the protection of the interests of the people of Ladakh.
