"Can't Accept More Friend Requests": Ladakh BJP MP After Article 370 Speech

A day after he earned a compliment from Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his speech in parliament on centre's move to end the special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, a BJP MP from Ladakh, on Wednesday said he "cannot accept any more friend requests" on Facebook.

"I cannot accept (any) more friend request(s) here as the limit of 5,000 is crossed. So please hit like and stay tuned with my official page attached here (sic)," he wrote on Facebook.

On Tuesday, Mr Namgyal said the the people of Ladakh had been fighting for Union Territory status for the last seven decades. He strongly endorsed the government's move to turn Jammu and Kashmir into the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory of Ladakh.

"If Ladakh is today underdeveloped, then Article 370 and Congress party are responsible for it," the 34-year-old BJP leader said.

In his speech, he also attacked former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir - Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah - who opposed the centre's move. "They will not contest the Panchayat elections but when it comes to their posts, they will contest. They think Kashmir is their ancestral property but that is no longer true," said the MP, dressed in traditional wear.

The young politician, who started his career in 2012 as a caretaker of a BJP office in Leh, trended on social media soon after he spoke in Lok Sabha.

Mr Namgyal's speech is a "must hear", PM Modi tweeted. "My young friend, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who is @MPLadakh delivered an outstanding speech in the Lok Sabha while discussing key bills on J&K. He coherently presents the aspirations of our sisters and brothers from Ladakh. It is a must hear!," PM Modi tweeted.

My young friend, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal who is @MPLadakh delivered an outstanding speech in the Lok Sabha while discussing key bills on J&K. He coherently presents the aspirations of our sisters and brothers from Ladakh. It is a must hear! https://t.co/XN8dGcTwx6

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 6, 2019

Home Minister Amit Shah, who presented the resolution to end the special status to Jammu and Kashmir in both the houses of parliament, also endorsed his views. "A speech full of facts that reflects aspirations of our brothers and sister from the Ladakh region," he tweeted.

Recalling his humble beginning, Mr Namgyal told news agency ANI: "In 2012, I went to Jammu and got in contact with BJP and its ideology. I came back to Leh and was made the office secretary of the BJP district office in Leh. This was the lowest post of the office."

"I accepted this responsibility. I used to write applications for people who came to the office as they were not literate or well read. Gradually, I was made a party spokesperson, " he said.

The centre's move to end the special status to Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcate Jammu and Kashmir cleared parliament on Tuesday.