Following the accession of
Jammu and Kashmir to India in 1947 and the discussions with the
United Nations regarding a plebiscite to determine the final disposition of the state, Chewang Rigzin, the President of the Ladakh Buddhist Association wrote to the Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru asking for it to be excluded from such arrangements. He argued that Ladakh was a "separate nation" by all tests, such as race, language and culture, and had a right to self-determination. He suggested that Ladakh should be governed directly by the Government of India or merged with Jammu or East Punjab. In 1989, there were violent riots between Buddhists and Muslims in
Leh, caused by increasing economic and political resentment felt by Buddhists. The LBA announced a social and economic boycott of local Muslims. The boycott undermined the positive relationships between the two communities. However, due to strong links between the Muslim and Buddhist community, many Buddhists ignored the orders and continued to interact with Muslims. In early 2000, representatives of the LBA claimed that many Buddhist women were taken forcibly from their home villages and
forced to convert to Islam, and accused the state government in Jammu and Kashmir of allowing this to happen. Researchers have noted that the LBA has been allying with the
RSS,
BJP, and other Hindu nationalist groups since the late 20th century. This has been due to Buddhists calling for the political autonomy of Ladakh and feeling marginalized by the Kashmiri government, issues the allied groups also support. However, these alliances were made for mainly political and socio-economic reasons as Ladakhi Buddhists are also wary of the influence of these groups on their community. The LBA has deployed rhetoric in recent years alleging that Muslims are outnumbering them and that Buddhist women are being "lured" into marrying Muslims and subsequently converting to Islam. == Gallery ==