Congress slams Rajnath Singh for remarks on 'Union Territory' status for Ladakh

LEH: The Leh unit of Congress today hit out at Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for linking the ' Union Territory' status for Ladakh region to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which guarantees special status to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Linking Union Territory status for Ladakh region to abrogation of Article 370 has exposed the double standards of the BJP," District president of Congress Tsering Samphel said addressing an election rally at Pologround here.

Singh, who addressed an election rally in Leh yesterday, had said Article 370 was becoming an impediment in development of the state and coming even in the way of granting the Union Territory status to Ladakh region.

Samphel, who lost to BJP candidate Thupstan Chewwang in the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year, said BJP had not laid any conditions for granting the Union Territory status to Ladakh region earlier.

"BJP never mentioned any condition on UT status before. Now, the BJP leaders are putting conditions," he said.

Chewwang, who spearheaded the nearly decade-long Union Territory agitation as head of the Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF), merged his outfit with BJP in 2010 after the national party supported its demand.

Samphel said BJP did not have the interests of Ladakh region at its heart and was only indulging in politics.

"If BJP had good intentions regarding Ladakh, why did the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) not announce any project for the region? He just came, addressed a rally and left," he added.