Meet Tashi Gyalson, BJP’s pick for Ladakh who backs UT status demand

Since the revocation of Article 370 in August 2019 and the splitting of the former state of Jammu And Kashmir into two union territories, the Ladakh region has been in a state of turmoil with several residents seeking protections for its land, language and culture.

Gyalson, a staunch supporter of the move to give Ladakh Union Territory status, favours protection for the Ladakhi people but stops short of voicing the demand for the Sixth Schedule.

The Schedule contains provisions regarding the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Inclusion under this Schedule would allow Ladakh to create Autonomous District and Regional Councils (ADCs and ARCs) — elected bodies with the power to administrate tribal areas. This would include the power to make laws on subjects such as forest management, agriculture, administration of villages and towns, inheritance, marriage, divorce and social customs. A majority of the population in Ladakh belongs to Scheduled Tribes.

“My position is that dialogue should not get derailed. We are all for talks to continue,” Gyalson, who will be contesting his first election, had earlier told The Indian Express.

Saying that the “government is not denying protections to the Ladakhis,” he had added: “However, we should discuss all pros and cons in detail. The government of India respects the wishes of the people of Ladakh and we will devise a mechanism that works for everyone.”

Gyalson, in his role as the Chief Executive Councillor of the LAHDC (Leh) Development Council (Leh), is part of a high-powered committee constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs on November 2023 to ensure the protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh. The 15-member committee is chaired by MoS Nityanand Rai.

After nearly four years of people’s agitations in Ladakh, the committee began discussions in December 2023. However, after four rounds of talks, the dialogue reached an impasse in March this year.

The Apex Body (Leh) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, the two bodies at the forefront of the people’s movement in Ladakh, have put forth a four point agenda in front of the committee.

This includes: statehood for Ladakh, safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the constitution, reservation of jobs for the youth of Ladakh, and the creation of separate parliamentary constituencies for the two parts of the region.

As part of its arrangement with the National Congress, a partner in the INDIA bloc, the Congress is contesting Ladakh. It has not fielded a candidate so far.

The NC-Congress combine had contested the LAHDC polls in October together and won the required number of seats to form the next executive body. While the NC won 12 seats, the Congress bagged 10 seats.

In the Lok Sabha arrangement decided this time, the NC retained the Srinagar, Baramulla and Anantnag-Rajouri seats. The Congress will fight the Jammu, Udhampur and Ladakh seats.

Ladakh votes in the fifth phase on May 20.