New Delhi: Taking a swipe at the BJP, the Congress on Monday said Ladakh desperately awaits “a healing touch” from the nation and the leadership of a party that promised Sixth Schedule protection in its manifesto for the local hill council elections but is now refusing to fulfil that promise.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh made the assertion ahead of Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa’s visit to India.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications, Ramesh, recalled the contribution of 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, a highly revered Buddhist monk and public figure of Ladakh who served for an unusual ten years as Ambassador to Mongolia.
He also recalled that India played an important role in Mongolia’s joining the UN in October 1961 and the turning point in the relationship was then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s inspired appointment of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche in October 1989 as India’s Ambassador to that country.
Ramesh noted that the Leh Airport was renamed after the 19th Koshak Bakula Rinpoche by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who hailed him as the “architect of modern Ladakh”.
“The President of Mongolia arrives in New Delhi today accompanied by a high-powered delegation. Diplomatic relations between India and Mongolia go back to December 1955. India played an important role in Mongolia’s joining the UN in October 1961,” Ramesh said on X.
The turning point in the relationship was Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s inspired appointment of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche in October 1989 as India’s Ambassador to Mongolia, he said.
“He took over in January 1990. He was a highly revered Buddhist monk and public figure of Ladakh and served for an unusual ten years as Ambassador.
“He played a key role in helping Mongolia rediscover and celebrate its Buddhist heritage after the collapse of communism there in 1990 itself. He remains an iconic figure in Mongolia,” Ramesh said.
On June 10, 2005, the Leh Airport was renamed after the 19th Koshak Bakula Rinpoche, he said.
“The revival of Buddhism – not just in Mongolia and the erstwhile USSR – but also in India itself owes much to him,” he said.
“The 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s Ladakh now desperately awaits a healing touch from the nation but most of all by the leadership of a party that promised Sixth Schedule Constitutional protection in its manifesto for the local hill council elections in 2020 but is now as the ruling party refusing to fulfil that promise,” Ramesh said.
Leh was rocked by widespread violence on September 24 during an agitation spearheaded by LAB and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) for statehood and extension of Sixth Schedule safeguards.
Opposition leaders have been vocal in condemning the deaths during the protest and the subsequent arrest of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).
Mongolian President Khurelsukh will undertake a four-day visit to India beginning Monday to explore ways to boost bilateral ties in areas of energy, mining and defence.
Khurelsukh will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising cabinet ministers, parliament members, senior officials and business leaders, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
It will be Khurelsukh’s first visit to India as the president.
The Mongolian leader will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and review the entire gamut of bilateral relations, the ministry said.
President Droupadi Murmu will also meet the visiting leader and host a banquet in his honour.
The partnership between the two countries spans across sectors such as defence and security, energy, mining, information technology, education, healthcare and cultural cooperation.
