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‘They celebrated UT status in 2019’: Omar Abdullah on violent protest in Leh over statehood demand
Omar Abdullah said Ladakh wasn’t even promised statehood during its bifurcation in 2019 and that the people celebrated the move to make it a Union Territory.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday reacted to the violent protests in Leh over Ladakh statehood demand and draw parallels to calld for statehood in J&K.
Reacting to a report of violence in Leh, Omar Abdullah said Ladakh wasn’t even promised statehood during its bifurcation in 2019 and that the people celebrated the move to make it a Union Territory.
"Ladakh wasn’t even promised Statehood, they celebrated UT status in 2019 & they feel betrayed & angry. Now try to imagine how betrayed & disappointed we in J&K feel when the promise of statehood to J&K remains unfulfilled even though we have gone about demanding it democratically, peacefully & responsibly," the chief minister said in a post on X.
He was referring to August 5, 2019, when Article 370 was abrogated in Jammu and Kashmir and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
The people of Ladakh had welcomed the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir, saying that the region had long been neglected. Meanwhile, in J&K, there have been calls from the political parties, including Omar's National Conference, for the restoration of statehood.
The remark comes after a protest by the people of Ladakh demanding statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule turned violent as protestors pelted stones and clashed with the police in Leh on Wednesday. Police vehicles were burnt and a BJP office was also burnt during the protest.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike, called off his protest and called for peace.
Sharing the video on X, Wangchuk said, "Very sad by the events in Leh. My message of the peaceful path failed today. I appeal to the youth to please stop this nonsense. This only damages our cause."
National Conference MLA Tanvir Sadiq also reacted to the protest calling it unfortunate. He said that the situation in Ladakh was being mishandled the way it was done in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It is very unfortunate that everything has been mishandled. The way J&K is being mishandled, Ladakh is also being mishandled in a similar way. While this is true, we condemn violence and hope that the central government sitting in Delhi will sit down and talk with the people of Ladakh,” Sadiq said.
