In a sharp rebuttal amid escalating tensions in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has come to the defense of the Congress party, countering accusations from the Bharatiya Janata Party that it orchestrated the recent violent protests in the region. Abdullah accused the BJP of a pattern of deflecting responsibility onto others whenever its own governance falters, while calling on the lieutenant governor’s administration to introspect on its inability to prevent the chaos.
The unrest erupted on Wednesday, September 24, when demonstrations advocating for Ladakh’s statehood and the extension of Sixth Schedule protections under the Constitution spiraled into deadly violence. Four individuals lost their lives, and over 80 sustained injuries in the clashes, which saw hundreds of protesters clashing with authorities. Among the damages, a BJP office and multiple vehicles in Leh were reportedly set ablaze, prompting police to deploy tear gas and batons to restore order.
Addressing the BJP’s claims, Abdullah emphasized the irony of their narrative. “The government in Ladakh is theirs,” he stated, referring to the BJP’s control. “When they fail, they blame someone else. Had the Congress been so powerful that it could cause riots in Ladakh, why didn’t the party form the council in October 2020? Who won the last council elections in Ladakh? The BJP, while the Congress lost badly. When things go wrong, the BJP people always come up with excuses.”
He further urged the Ladakhi administration to conduct a thorough review of its lapses. “When such things happen, it is the administration which is the first to fail. The administration should see why it failed. Blaming someone else will not help,” Abdullah remarked. In a bid to de-escalate, he implored residents to uphold peace and shun vigilante actions, stressing that “the Government of India should pay attention to their legitimate demands.”
Bolstering the Congress’s position, renowned activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has faced scrutiny from the Ministry of Home Affairs for allegedly delivering inflammatory remarks, dismissed the notion of the party’s sway over the demonstrators. “Congress doesn’t have such influence here that it can manage to get 5,000 youth on the roads,” Wangchuk asserted. He recounted an incident where a local Congress councillor visited a hospital in distress over injured villagers but underscored that the party lacks the clout to mobilize such large-scale action.
The BJP, undeterred, amplified its allegations through spokesperson Amit Malviya, who shared an image on X of a masked individual purportedly wielding a weapon. Malviya identified the figure as Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, the Congress councillor for Upper Leh Ward, accusing him of fomenting the riots.
Compounding Wangchuk’s challenges, authorities canceled the foreign funding license for his NGO on the heels of the violence, coinciding with an ongoing Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged financial discrepancies at his organization.
As Ladakh grapples with the aftermath, the exchange highlights deepening political rifts over the union territory’s future, with calls for accountability echoing from both sides of the aisle.
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