Ladakh BJP unit fumes over ‘meddling’ by Delhi leaders

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, November 18

Resentment is brewing in the Ladakh unit of the BJP as the party’s local leadership is not happy with the “unwarranted interference of parachute leaders” from Delhi and Jammu while neglecting them in key affairs related to the region.

If party insiders are to be believed, the Ladakh leadership of the BJP was feeling “humiliated” due to the “unwanted interference” of the state leadership and leaders from Delhi in their day-to-day affairs which led to the resignation of former Chief Executive Councillor (CEC) Dorje Motup last month.

The BJP again suffered a major setback this week when its tallest leader and lone Member of Parliament from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang resigned from the party.

“Immature leaders were made the ‘prabhari’ (in charge) of the Ladakh unit and those who themselves were facing a credibility crisis in Jammu were giving diktats to senior leaders of the region. More senior leaders are planning to quit the party in the prevailing circumstances,” a senior party leader in Leh said, requesting anonymity.

He said, “Leaders from Jammu and Delhi are projecting only weak people and their favourites in Ladakh so as to maintain their control over the region. Every worker of the party is feeling suffocated and humiliated due to the unwarranted interference of these parachute leaders in Ladakh.”

Motup, when contacted, admitted that there were allegations against him after the party’s civic poll debacle in Ladakh which forced him to resign from the CEC post. He, however, refused to comment on the crisis within the BJP in the region.

As reported earlier, Chhewang had resigned from both the primary membership of the saffron party and as the Lok Sabha member this week. He was not happy with the Centre and the state’s approach towards the Ladakh region. He had openly resented the party’s decision to forge an alliance with the PDP to form a government in J&K.

The opponents, who are closely watching the political developments in Ladakh, took a swipe at the BJP for “neglecting” its local leadership.

“Thupstan Chhewang, who is the tallest leader in Ladakh, was humiliated and disrespected by the BJP for the reasons best known to them. The BJP cheated Ladakhi people with false promises. This resulted in its victory in parliamentary and Leh council polls but its downfall has begun with the debacle in the civic polls,” Nawang Rigzin Jora, MLA, Leh, said.

Feroz Khan, senior NC leader and chairman of the Kargil Council, said, “At the time of resignation of Dorje Motup and joining of the new CEC, senior leaders of the BJP from Jammu were present in Leh. Definitely, Ladakhi people will not tolerate anyone’s interference in their routine matters.”