Ladakh Bids Good Bye To J&K, Adopts New Logo
By Syed Junaid Hashmi
01 May, 2011
Countercurrents.org
Leh-Ladakh has bid good bye to the last symbol of government of Jammu and Kashmir on its soil and adopted a new official logo.
Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) passed a resolution moved by a congress man in one voice to adopt a new logo based on national emblem of India. In the new logo adopted by LAHDC in its general council on February 21, 2011; while leaves alongwith rising sun and mountains in the background are intact, central portion has been replaced with lion capital of Ashoka from Sarnath, the National Emblem.
The development is significant and if political forces in Leh-Ladakh are to be believed, this is first step towards the achievement of union territory status. Leh has already not been using state flag of J&K. The new logo will now be permanent feature of Ladakh administration and according to some members of LAHDC; it would be put in operation once the work which is still going on it is complete.
“National Emblem of our country is now our logo. Council has already adopted it and we are now giving it final touches to ensure that it represents Ladakh’s administrative set-up in totto,” said Congress leader, Journalist and Councilor of LAHDC Tsewang Rigzin. It was Rigzin who moved the resolution for new logo.
Rigzin said that inclusion of a prominent symbol as the hill council’s logo indicates that LAHDC exists under a government act. “Otherwise, what used to happen is that outside Ladakh even an official letter from the hill council would often confuse whether LAHDC is a private organization or a democratically empowered government institution. It was need of the hour to ensure that people in the outside world come to know that hill council is a unique political dispensation for people of Ladakh” informed Rigzin.
He maintained that adopting country’s national emblem as hill council’s official logo would make the council more prominent and approve of the historic fact that Ladakhis are extremely patriotic people. Tsewang Rigzin, a prominent congress leader affirmed that he had sent the resolution for being taken up in the meeting the council on February 2, 2011 and the general adopted it unanimously.
Confirming the adoption of new logo in the general council, Executive Councillor (Health) Dr. Sonam Wanchuk said that the logo would now used in all the official communications with both Jammu and Kashmir government and rest of the country. “It would now be used on the official vehicles also. This was extremely important for us to assert our identity,” added Wanchuk.
Another councilor said that the new logo would give Ladakh a new identity. “In Jammu and Kashmir, Leh-Ladakh including Kargil are unknown entities. Our region figures nowhere in the official nomenclature of the state. This is first step towards the achievement of larger goal of union territory status,” added another councilor.
An official of Jammu and Kashmir government termed the development insignificant and said that it hardly makes any difference what the councilors in Ladakh do. “This does not make any news. A logo is no threat to the unity and integrity of Jammu and Kashmir,” added the official. However, he was mum when asked about which symbol represents Jammu and Kashmir in Ladakh.
Further, giving political impetus to the long pending demand of Ladakh Union Territory Front (LUTF), opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today moved a resolution in the Rajya Sabha seeking unanimity of the house for pressing central government to grant union territory status to Ladakh.
Moved by National Spokesperson of the BJP Rajiv Pratap Rudy in the Rajya Sabha, this private member resolution calls for formation of a separate centrally administered union territory of Ladakh owing to its distinct cultural, religious, ethnic and linguistic identity. It further maintains that Ladakh region with an area of 86,904 square kilometers has only one representative in Parliament and two in Jammu and Kashmir’s legislative Assembly.
The resolution further says that due to this peculiar position, people of Ladakh region are unable to get proper recognition of their needs and aspirations.
Pointing out that Ladakh district has long border with China which is manned by the Indian Army and Para-military forces requiring day-to-day monitoring by the centre, the resolution affirms that it is essential to have his region directly administered by centre to establish bilateral trade with China and prevent illegitimate trading.
The resolution is likely to come up for discussion and passing in the days ahead and if the BJP sources are to be believed, the resolution is unlikely to be defeated since the congress has never openly or officially resisted the demand of Ladakh region in Jammu and Kashmir for union territory status. They added that if not the support in terms of votes, they are likely to get verbal support from whosoever speaks on the resolution being moved by them.
Though the logo controversy was referred as inconsequential event by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah who compared the change with someone changing the logo of Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC), BJP’s resolution is confirmation of the fact that political forces are treading cautiously to redress Ladakh’s UT demand.
The only difference is that while the resolution in Rajya Sabha has been moved by a BJP leader, the resolution for changing the logo of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) was moved by a congressman on February 21, 2011 in the general council of LAHDC. Further, the logo has been changed and replaced with lion capital of Ashoka from Sarnath, the National Emblem.
Political forces in Ladakh had termed this as a significant step towards the achievement of union territory status. Leh has already not been using state flag of J&K. BJP’s resolution is also being seen in the same light and if a senior congress is to be believed, Union Territory status is the only solution of issues concerning the Buddhist dominated Leh-Ladakh region.
Further, it has also been learnt that BJP is likely to bring another resolution in the Rajya Sabha seeking inclusion of Bhoti language in the eight schedule of the Indian constitution. It may be coincidence but LAHDC has recently in its general council meeting passed a similar resolution.
Syed Junaid Hashmi is a Journalist based in Jammu and has been doing research work on New Delhi's peace initiatives in Jammu and Kashmir. He can be reached at [email protected]
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