Ladakh MP-elect Hanifa Jan Advocates Statehood and Sixth Schedule Safeguards

Since becoming a Union territory in 2019, Ladakh has witnessed a series of protests with demand for statehood.

Hanifa Jan, the independent MP-elect from the Ladakh Lok Sabha constituency, has said that statehood, and safeguards under the sixth schedule of the Constitution of India, remain his key demands so that the people of the region ‘get their rights.’

“I will go to the NDA, as well as all parties of the INDIA bloc,” Hanifa Jan told PTI in an exclusive interview, referring to the BJP-led coalition that recently won its third consecutive Lok Sabha election, and the Congress-led alliance of opposition parties, respectively.

“If that does not work, I will go to the people of India, because the people of Ladakh have made many sacrifices for the country. We have worked shoulder to shoulder with the Army to keep the nation safe. Today, we need the support of the people of India,” he said.

In August 2019, the Narendra Modi government, a little over two months after it was voted to power to serve its second successive term, revoked Article 370 of the Constitution; the legislation gave ‘special status’ to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Subsequently, Ladakh, which came under Jammu and Kashmir, and Jammu and Kashmir itself, became two separate Union territories (UTs).

Since then, Ladakh has witnessed a series of protests with demand for statehood, and safeguard guaranteed by the sixth schedule. A massive agitation was held this year too, months before the April-May Lok Sabha election, but was eventually called off.

Hanifa Jan, the MP-elect, stated that the people of the UT need statehood to ‘exercise their sovereignty.’ “In the last five years, people have been complaining about the UT set up, they are concerned about their future employment. Dreams of several youths have been shattered,” he noted.

He also asserted that he will not join any political party, and will continue to work as an independent parliamentarian.