Union Minister of State for Home G.K. Reddy, who is touring Ladakh's Leh district, warned Pakistan and China on Monday against “interfering in India's internal affairs,” as he announced a slew of development projects for the region.
“No foreign country has any locus standi to intervene in the internal affairs of India. Why would [Pakistan Prime Minister] Imran Khan and the Chinese minister comment on granting Union Territory status to Ladakh?... It’s our internal issue,” Mr. Reddy said at a press conference in Leh.
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“All these parties are speaking in one tune along with China and Pakistan,” Mr. Reddy said referring to statements of J&K parties, including the National Conference (NC), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress, on Article 370. “They are speaking against the country. The tone and tune is one, which is unfortunate.”
On the NC leader Farooq Abdullah’s recent statement on China, the Union Minister said, “How can a senior political leader, who is a Member of Parliament (MP), talk about China’s support in restoring Article 370 during the escalating tensions with China in eastern Ladakh?”
Power projects
Mr. Reddy announced 7500 MWs power projects for Ladakh and promised to create 5,000 new jobs.
“The power projects will serve the local population and will help farmers, industries. We gave a Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh to take it to new heights of development that include, power, telecommunication, road and air connectivity, along with education and health connectivity. All these sectors are being upgraded,” the MoS said.
Mr. Reddy, also Minister in charge of Lakdah UT, said two cities in the UT would be developed as smart cities and taken up for development and air connectivity, so that the tourism sector got a boost.
The Minister’s visit to Leh comes just three days ahead of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh (LAHDC-Leh) polls.