Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal makes his mark with LS speech on J&K bifurcation, wins appreciation of party's top brass

When  Jamyang Tsering Namgyal (popularly known as JTN), the thirty-three year old MP from Ladakh, rose to speak in Parliament at around 3.30 pm on the bills and resolutions moved by home minister Amit Shah, not many had any particularly high expectation from him. About twenty minutes later, when the first-time MP finished his speech, he won all-round appreciation, including from the BJP leadership, colleagues, peers in Parliament and those outside who were watching the proceedings on television. He made his mark as a parliamentarian and has become a star in the BJP’s ranks. Namgyal’s speech was full of facts and historical references; it was solid in terms of both substance and oratory. Watch Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal’s full speech on Article 370 in Lok Sabha 

Namgyal touched upon a range of issues, including alienation, secularism, the religious divide and the possibility of a rise of secessionism. He also gave a point-by-point rebuttal to the concerns that were raised by speakers from parties which opposed the Centre’s move — such as the Congress, Left, DMK and National Conference. [caption id=“attachment_7120051” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal speaks in Lok Sabha on motion to abrogate Article 370. Image courtesy: Twitter/@ANI[/caption] The Ladakh MP particularly lashed out at Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference, who had earlier spoken on how the move would further alienate Kashmiris and create unrest among the people. Responding to Namgyal’s speech, BJP members sitting around him, as also home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh and minister for textiles and women and child development Smriti Irani, laughed and thumped their desks. Namgyal also mentioned anecdotes from Ladakh and Jammu, and the agitations he participated in during his student days, to buttress his arguments. On more than one occasion, he said that his knowledge about the region does not come from books but from his first-hand knowledge, which is rooted in ground realities. “Someone said that there is a bandh in Kargil (as the region purportedly opposed the Centre’s move). I am a Member of Parliament from that region, and I can say that over 70 percent people of the people in Kargil are very happy. People here often confuse the entirety of Kargil with one road or a small market," he said. Ladakh MP earlier made his mark in student politics After finishing his school education, Namgyal went to Jammu for higher education. It was here that he was initiated into student politics and the BJP. Earlier, he had been elected as a councillor in the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council with a record margin and had served in various capacities. Ladakh is the largest parliamentary constituency in the country, with an area of 1,73,266 kilometres. However, the constituency has only 1.59 lakh voters. Namgyal, the young MP from here, has made the people of the region proud with his speech in Parliament on Tuesday.