Ladakh statehood protests led by Congress, party's councillor was the main instigator: BJP

BJP MP and national spokesperson Sambit Patra said the protest, which was portrayed as led by GenZ, was actually spearheaded by the Congress, which he claimed under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi is aiming to disintegrate the country.

Patra also said the primary opposition party in the country, where Congress has been out of power for 11 years, is aiming to create unrest like it happened in the neighbouring nations.

"We have seen an effort was made to portray some protests as being led by GenZ. But investigation revealed it was a protest led by the Congress and not GenZ. It's evident that Congress councillor Stanzing Tsepang from the Upper Leh ward is the main instigator. Several photos of him instigating along with other Congress workers have come to the light.

"A clear video of Stanzing Tsepang marching towards the BJP office with a weapon in his hand. In a separate photo, the Congress councillor was seen with Rahul Gandhi-ji," Patra said.

"It should be remembered that the Congress party has nefarious designs to disintegrate India. As they can't win the elections, Rahul Gandhi has devised a plan with George Soros to disintegrate the country. Rahul Gandhi is trying to instigate people to create a situation like Bangladesh, Nepal and Philippines.

"What kind of leadership does the Congress have? What does it want? But Congress and Rahul Gandhi should know that people of this country, a civilisation of thousands of years, are capable of differentiating between good and bad," the BJP leader added.

At least four people were killed and over 70 injured on Wednesday after violent clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in Leh.

The unrest, the first major episode of violence in the ongoing Ladakh statehood movement, erupted after demonstrators demanding constitutional safeguards and statehood for the Union Territory clashed with police.

According to officials, the protest escalated when agitators attacked a BJP office and several vehicles, including a police van. Security forces resorted to firing to disperse the crowd.

The clashes followed a complete shutdown call given by the protesters, who have been pressing for Ladakh’s statehood and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

For the past two weeks, noted climate activist Sonam Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike in support of the demands.

The violence comes just days ahead of a scheduled meeting on October 6 between the Leh Apex Body and the Centre to resume dialogue on Ladakh’s political future.

Since Ladakh’s separation from Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 and its designation as a Union Territory, discontent has grown over direct Central rule.

Initially welcomed by many in Leh, the move soon led to demands for political representation, land and resource protection, and safeguards for Ladakh’s unique culture.

Over the past three years, mass protests and hunger strikes have been jointly organised by the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, uniting the Buddhist-majority Leh and Muslim-majority Kargil under a single platform.

Multiple rounds of talks with the Centre have failed to yield an agreement, with local leaders accusing the Union government of rejecting their core demands.

Wednesday’s clashes mark a major flashpoint in the movement and are likely to heighten tensions ahead of the government’s upcoming talks with Ladakhi representatives.