As Amit Shah visits Ladakh, Congress criticises his ‘silence’ on statehood demand

The Congress on Friday criticised Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his visit to Ladakh, accusing him of ignoring residents’ calls for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution while “basking in the glory of the Piprahwa relics”.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh accused Shah of “remaining silent on the demands of the people there for Statehood, Sixth Schedule status, and protection of land and employment”.

The home minister arrived in Ladakh on Thursday for a two-day visit to view the holy relics of Lord Buddha. This marks his first visit to the Union Territory since protests erupted in September, in which four protesters were killed in police firing.

Ladakh is hosting a two-week long exposition of the holy relics starting on Friday, which is Buddh Purnima. This is reportedly the first time that the relics have been taken out from their permanent location for an exhibition within the country.

Statehood demand

In August 2019, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government abrogated the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution and bifurcated the state into two Union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

The lack of a legislature in Ladakh has stoked fears among the Ladakhi people over their land, natural resources and livelihoods. They also fear the region’s cultural identity and fragile ecosystem are in danger.

By 2022, the residents had four demands: statehood to Ladakh, constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts and the rollout of a recruitment process and a separate Public Service Commission for Ladakh.

All of Ladakh currently has one Lok Sabha seat.

The Sixth Schedule guarantees protection to land and a degree of autonomy for the country’s tribal areas.

The demands were pushed forward by groups such as the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, which have been coordinating protests since 2020.

Tensions erupted in 2024 and 2025 with renewed protests, including a hunger strike by activist Sonam Wangchuk supporting the demands and the resumption of talks with the Union government.

After the violence in September 2025, Wangchuk called off his hunger strike and appealed for peace.

However, the Union government accused him of involvement in instigating unrest. He was detained under the National Security Act and held in jail for more than five months.

The government had revoked his detention in March, saying the decision was aimed at “fostering an environment of peace, stability, and mutual trust in Ladakh so as to facilitate constructive and meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders”.

After his release, the activist called for a “win-win” dialogue with the Union government.

During the time of this detention, formal talks between the Union government and Ladakh’s leadership had largely paused. Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena later announced that talks would resume on May 22.