Leh: The political debate in Ladakh intensified on Saturday after Tsewang Nurboo, State Spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), held a press conference at the party’s Leh headquarters to counter what he called “false and misleading allegations” made by the Congress. Addressing local media, Nurboo said the Congress had recently claimed that Ladakh was politically, administratively and financially weakened after becoming a Union Territory in 2019, an accusation he described as completely baseless and aimed purely at gaining political mileage during sensitive times in the region.
Speaking firmly, Nurboo criticised the Congress for what he termed a legacy of neglect spanning six decades. He argued that despite ruling at the Centre and in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir for most of independent India’s history, the Congress neither removed Article 370 nor fulfilled Ladakh’s long-pending demand for Union Territory status.
As a result, he said, Ladakhis continued to be politically marginalised within J&K for decades. Nurboo recalled that even the revered leader Kushok Bakula Rinpoche consistently advocated for separating Ladakh from Jammu & Kashmir, stressing that only Union Territory status could safeguard Ladakh’s identity and aspirations.
“For sixty years, Congress suppressed Ladakh’s voice. It was only in 2019 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government empowered us by granting UT status,” Nurboo asserted.
The BJP spokesperson went on to highlight what he described as historic administrative growth since 2019. He pointed out that during Congress rule, Ladakh received only one district—Kargil, created in 1979—over a period of sixty years. In stark contrast, he said, the region saw the creation of five new districts within just five years of UT formation, taking the total number to seven.
“People can judge for themselves who empowered Ladakh and who kept it stagnant,” he remarked.
Nurboo also presented financial comparisons to counter Congress claims of fiscal disempowerment. He stated that before 2019, the annual budget of each Hill Council was barely ₹60–80 crore, councillors received only ₹18 lakh as constituency development funds, and their salaries stood between ₹20,000 and ₹30,000.
After Ladakh became a Union Territory, however, the budget for both Hill Councils rose to around ₹350 crore, councillor CDF increased to ₹1.5 crore, and salaries grew tenfold to ₹1.5 lakh per month. He added that even Congress councillors had benefitted from these advancements but were now attempting to “mislead the public with fabricated narratives.”
Accusing Congress leaders of playing politics during a challenging period for Ladakh, Nurboo said the opposition was trying to exploit current circumstances for electoral advantage instead of contributing constructively. He insisted that the last five years had been a period of significant empowerment for Ladakh, not decline.
Concluding his address, he expressed confidence that the BJP would continue to fulfil the aspirations of the region. “Ladakh has become politically stronger, administratively more efficient and financially more capable after UT status. Whatever the people of Ladakh desire for their future, it is the BJP that will deliver,” he said.
