SRINAGAR: The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have rejected the Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) latest draft proposals as a “dilution of earlier assurances” and vowed to continue their agitation until Ladakh is granted a UT-level elected legislative body with meaningful powers and constitutional safeguards under Article 371(K).
The two organisations said the 32-page draft presented by MHA officials during October 15 sub-committee level talks in Leh fell short of Ladakh’s aspirations for democratic governance and protection of its land, culture, language and natural resources.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey accused the MHA of backtracking on assurances given during a May 22 meeting in New Delhi, when it had agreed to establish a directly elected UT-level body with legislative, executive, budgetary, planning and financial powers.
Dorjey said the proposed institution was expected to exercise legislative authority over land, culture, language, forests, the environment, natural resources and other subjects available to the Union Territory under Article 240.
“Now they are backtracking from it. We are not ready to discuss the proposals submitted by the MHA. These proposals are not acceptable to us,” Dorjey said. He maintained that the draft appeared to move towards a Territorial Council model, which both LAB and KDA had already rejected.
Dorjey urged the Centre to accept the proposals submitted by the two bodies and accused it of resorting to a “time-buying exercise” to delay a resolution of Ladakh’s demands.
“We will not bow down from our stand for a UT-level Assembly and constitutional safeguards under Article 371(K). We will continue our agitation until our demands are met,” he asserted.
KDA co-chairman Sajjad Kargili said both KDA and LAB had expected a stronger democratic framework backed by special constitutional safeguards. “Instead, the MHA draft appeared to offer a Territorial Council with limited authority.”
“After receiving the draft, we exchanged our views with legal and constitutional experts and realised that it was not acceptable to us. The Apex Body and KDA reject it,” Kargili said.
He said the two groups would submit their comments to the MHA on October 22, outlining their objections and seeking reconsideration.
Bodies hope Centre addresses their key demands
Both the LAB and the KDA expressed hope that the Centre would address Ladakh’s demands for constitutional safeguards and a UT-level elected body. However, Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra expressed disappointment over the rejection of the MHA draft by them.