Cheering the decision of the Centre to bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir into J&K and Ladakh Union Territories, Ladakh BJP MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal said the region would be finally be freed from the dominance and discrimination of Kashmir. "I welcome the Bill on behalf of everyone in Ladakh. People there wanted the region to be a Union Territory. People in Ladakh wanted that the region be freed from the dominance and discrimination of Kashmir, that is happening today," Namgyal was quoted by ANI as saying.
The Ladakh MP's response came soon after Home Minister Amit Shah moved a resolution in the Rajya Sabha to scrap Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, it was announced that the Centre would be bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir into two parts: Jammu and Kashmir as one Union Territory with an assembly and Ladakh as another without assembly.
Presenting the bifurcation need, Shah argued that Ladakh was a large region with a sparse population. He noted there had been a long-pending demand for Union Territory status to fulfil aspirations of the people.
Chaos erupted in Parliament following Shah moving the bill to scrap Article 370 on Monday. PDP MPs in the Rajya Sabha, Nazir Ahmad Laway and M.M. Fayaz, were expelled from the Upper House by Chairman Venkaiah Naidu after they attempted to tear the Indian Constitution. They later protested in Parliament premises. Fayaz also tore his kurta in protest of the government's move.
Congress leader Gulam Nabi Azad condemned the PDP MPs act, but accused the BJP of murdering the Indian Constitution. "I strongly condemn the act of 2-3 MPs (PDP's Mir Fayaz and Nazir Ahmed Laway who attempted to tear constitution). We stand by the Constitution of India. But today BJP has murdered constitution," Nabi said.
