Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Monday took a strong dig at the Centre over its failure to implement the promise of including Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, just ahead of President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa’s state visit to India from October 13 to 16.

Ramesh highlighted the historic ties between India and Mongolia, especially the pivotal role of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche, a revered Buddhist monk from Ladakh, who served as India’s Ambassador to Mongolia. Sharing a post on X, Ramesh wrote, “The President of Mongolia arrives in New Delhi today, accompanied by a high-powered delegation… 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 recalled that India and Mongolia established diplomatic relations in December 1955, with India playing a crucial role in Mongolia joining the United Nations in October 1961. He emphasized that Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s appointment of the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche as Ambassador in 1989 marked a significant turning point in bilateral relations. Serving for an unusual ten years, the monk helped Mongolia rediscover its Buddhist heritage after the collapse of communism in 1990.

He added that the 19th Kushok Bakula Rinpoche’s legacy continues to be celebrated in India. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh renamed the Leh Airport after him in 2005, hailing him as the “architect of modern Ladakh.” Ramesh noted, “The revival of Buddhism – not just in Mongolia and the erstwhile USSR, but also in India – owes much to him.”