Saffron party manifesto promises Union Territory status for Ladakh

Yangchan Dolma

Leh, October 2

The Leh unit of the BJP has reiterated its commitment to fulfilling the long-standing demand of the people in Ladakh for granting Union Territory (UT) status to the region.

The party has also promised to strengthen the relationship between Leh and Kargil districts and pursue the constitution of the Regional Advisory Council for the two regions with the state government.

Releasing the party manifesto for the October 17 Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh, elections here on Thursday, the BJP said it was committed to taking Ladakh to new heights of development under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“While our national manifesto is the guiding framework for our actions, the Leh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party proposes to pursue a five-point agenda for the new Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council  of Leh district for its holistic and speedy development in the 

next five years,” the manifesto read.

The BJP is contesting 24 seats of the 30-member general council of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, Leh. Four seats are filled by the ruling state government on the basis of nomination from the main minority communities of the district.

Bharatiya Janata Party organising secretary Ashok Kaul, while releasing the manifesto, said his party believed that the people of Ladakh would act judiciously and give a clear mandate to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the up-coming elections.

Besides reaffirming the party's stand on the Union Territory status for Ladakh, the manifesto also promised to 

pursue opening of the pilgrimage route to the Kailash Mansarover via Ladakh and inclusion of Bhoti language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution.

The party also promised to open a Central university or medical college in Ladakh and renew efforts to uphold the rich cultural heritage of the region. It promised to promote the tourism industry.

The manifesto was released in both English and Ladakhi. While the document in the native language carried the slogan “new ideology and new hope”, the one in English highlighted “BJP — The right choice at the right time”.