Ladakh witnessed huge protests on Wednesday where thousands of people marched shouting slogans demanding statehood, constitutional safeguards and separate parliament seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
The huge rally highlighted rampant unemployment in the region. “We are not begging but seeking our rights,” the protesters shouted as they marched in two long lines in the main town of Ladakh.
The protests were jointly organised by the Leh Apex Body, an amalgam of political and social organisations representing Buddhists, and the Kargil Democratic Alliance.
The protesters marched through the streets of Leh and Kargil, for getting recognised under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to facilitate semi-autonomous rule.
Natives of Ladakh are fighting for separate Parliament seats for Leh and Kargil districts, and also demanded a hike in the government jobs quota.
Kargil also cited similar protests where a ‘Kargil Democratic Alliance’ spokesman said the march was the first of a series of street protests and agitations planned for the next two years to force the Centre to concede to their demands.
What happened erlier:
Jammu and Kashmir were stripped of their statehood and downgraded into two Union Territories, on August 5, 2019, which Ladakh celebrated.
The Ladakh Buddhist Association, which was part of the celebrations then, is now part of the political alliance demanding statehood and constitutional guarantees for jobs and land rights exclusively for the people of Ladakh
Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) unit in Ladakh was part of the alliance but later pulled out as the party came under criticism for its ‘doublespeak’.
Reasons behind the protest:
The centre and the BJP have touted carving out Ladakh as a separate Union Territory, a historic move that will bring development and also end decades of discrimination against the region.
The centre had promised to restore Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood at an appropriate time, after the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370. However, the promise was delayed and forgotten, claimed the natives.
The people in Ladakh and Kargil for the last one year, have held multiple protests, demanding an end to bureaucratic rule in the Union Territory.
The move is a major challenge for the central government because even before the centre takes a call on the restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh has demanded statehood and more constitutional guarantees, which they used to have under Article 370.
Follow on Twitter | Posted by Masrath Fatima | 
