| Ladakh autonomy row deepens as prominent Buddhist leader flags exclusion, intimidation | | | Early Times Report
Jammu, Nov 25: A major controversy has erupted in Ladakh just a week after the region’s agitating groups submitted their charter of demands to the Union Government.
Former president of the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), Dr. Tondup Tsewang Chospa, has levelled serious allegations against the Apex Body, Leh, claiming that the draft submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) was prepared without public consultation and fails to represent the aspirations of diverse communities.
Raising concerns over what he termed “public exclusion,” Dr. Chospa said the document had been drafted “unilaterally by only a handful of individuals,” ignoring the voices of significant sections of Ladakh’s Buddhist population. Communities from Kargil, Zanskar, Aryan Valley, Changthang and others, he said, were neither consulted nor their concerns incorporated in the final submission.
In a strongly worded statement, Dr. Chospa said the entire exercise lacked transparency.
“The draft was prepared by only a few individuals without wider consultations with the public. The views of important sections of the Buddhist community were sidelined. The draft was made public only after it had already been submitted to the MHA, defeating the very purpose of public participation”, he said.
He further alleged that intolerance toward differing opinions was growing within the Apex Body, Leh. Instead of encouraging dialogue, he claimed the leadership was pushing a one-sided narrative and that individuals—especially women—who expressed alternate viewpoints were facing “intimidation, pressure tactics and harassment.”
“This stands at odds with core Buddhist traditions of openness, tolerance, and respect for dialogue,” Dr. Chospa said.
On the contentious demand for statehood for Ladakh, Dr. Chospa noted that increasing sections of the population fear the move could disrupt inter-regional and communal harmony and benefit only numerically larger groups.
He added that public concerns about the statehood model’s feasibility—particularly regarding sustainable revenue generation and long-term socio-economic planning—were not adequately addressed in the draft.
He cautioned that projecting statehood as a “consensus demand” was misleading without conducting wider consultations across Ladakh’s diverse regions.
Calling on the UT Administration of Ladakh and the Government of India to take note of the growing discontent, Dr. Chospa urged authorities to ensure that the ongoing dialogue remains free, fair, and genuinely representative.
“Differing views are being ignored to the point of silencing them. The government must ensure that diverse opinions expressed for Ladakh’s future are not underrepresented or lost in the process,” he said.
Expressing hope for a more inclusive approach, Dr. Chospa said, “We are hopeful that our leadership will work towards the genuine welfare of Ladakh and its people.” |
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