The famous speech by MP from Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (JTN) was applauded in the Parliament as well as by our countrymen. The Prime Minister himself shared the video of the speech on social media and well, it went viral in no time, thus making JTN an overnight hero from Ladakh.
I was also congratulated by people in my office but till then I had no idea what they were congratulating me for. I was told that the Ladakhi MP made a ferocious speech. Later, I watched the video and listened to him very carefully. Well yes, I felt pride that for the first time, I saw a Ladakhi MP being applauded by everyone. But after listening to him, I also felt cheated, disgusted and ashamed. In my opinion, half of his speech was a lie. He said what he was supposed to say. He said what he was trained to say by his bosses. He said what the people wanted to hear. Did he think for even a second about the consequences of what he was saying?
First of all, Ladakh is a region in J&K with two districts, namely Kargil and Leh. Kargil is a Muslim Majority and Leh is a Buddhist majority, followed by Hindus and Muslims.
Tsering Namgyal’s Speech Was Based On Lies
Firstly, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal made it seem like there have been no protests in Kargil and that everyone was celebrating the government’s move. He lied, because, since the abrogation of Article 370, Kargil staged a two-day peaceful march against the unethical and unconstitutional declaration of the Government. The third day, the Govt imposed CRPC 144 and suspended internet connectivity in the entire Kargil District.
Kargil has always been a voice of the oppressed and has always raised a voice against any oppressions in the country or around the globe. Likewise, Kargil protested against the Government’s decision to abrogate the special status of J&K without consulting the Constituent Assembly and people of Kashmir.
Secondly, he said he has the support of almost all Ladakhis and they had voted for him and that he won by a big margin. Moreover, he said that he has talked to everyone favouring the demand of a UT. I believe this was the second lie. It is true that Leaders from Leh wanted a UT and they have struggled a lot. It has always been their demand. But at this cost, where you have been ripped off from your identity and right?
They have always demanded a proper UT with the legislature and Article 370 intact. Kargil, on the other hand, has been opposed to a UT as they feared it would always be governed under the central government and would be ripped off the special status J&K had.
About winning with a big margin in the Lok Sabha election-2019, he again lied. A total of 4 candidates, with 2 from each district were there. In Leh, the BJP candidate, JTN himself and the Congress Candidate, Rigzin Spalbar.
From Kargil, there were two Independent Candidates, Asghar Ali Karbalai and Sajjad Hussain Kargili.
2019 Indian general elections: Ladakh
Source: Wikipedia
As against his claim of majority votes, he got only 33.94 votes from the whole of Ladakh.
Thirdly, in his speech, when he talked about Kargil being a tourist place, he clearly played the communal card by naming the Buddhist inhabited villages of Kargil only. According to me, he played with the religious sentiments of Ladakhi people from both, Muslim and Buddhist communities, who have always lived in harmony.
He could have mentioned other tourist places of Kargil. He didn’t even mention the famous Kargil War of 1999 and the sacrifices of Kargili locals in the war. He didn’t even mention the Kargil War Memorial at Drass, the beautiful hilltop 17th Century Imambara of Trespone village in Kargil, the scenic Sankoo Valley and the beautiful Suru Valley which comprises of around 10-15 picturesque villages. It was crystal clear where he was heading and what he was targeting. Though it was no surprise to me as I believe he has been trained by his bosses who are excellent at oratory.
The people from Kargil are not against a UT as it has remained the struggle and dream of Leh Leaders. Now it has been granted and it is obvious there is some kind of celebration in Leh. We are just asking them, at what cost did they get this UT?
I believe the struggle has gone in vain as the UT they were demanding is far far away from what they have gained. They have lost their identity – a UT without Legislature etc. All we are asking the Government is about the unethical and unconstitutional abrogation of Article 370 and the injustices and cruelty against the people of Kashmir.
Kargil has always been with India and will always be. ‘Hubb-ul-Watan‘ (Love for the Motherland/Country) will always remain in the heart and soul of Kargilis. Be it the War of 1965,72 and 1999 or any war to come, We are always ready to sacrifice for our country, for India. Though we don’t drag on much about nationalism or patriotism but when the time comes we don’t think twice.
Note: The author is a resident of Kargil, Ladakh (J&K).