SRINAGAR: A week after a shutdown in Ladakh on a call by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) over the Centre’s alleged backtracking on the decisions agreed upon during the May 22 meeting, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has invited leaders of the Union Territory for an informal sub-committee meeting in Leh on July 2.
“We have been invited by the MHA for informal talks in Leh on July 2,” LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay said on Tuesday.
It is for the first time that an MHA team will visit Ladakh to hold talks after the start of a dialogue process between the Centre and leaders of LAB and KDA, who are spearheading an agitation for grant of 6th Schedule status and statehood with legislature for the Ladakh UT.
“No agenda has been set for the July 2 meeting, but we will focus on issues that were agreed upon during the May 22 sub-committee meeting in New Delhi,” Dorjay said.
“We will emphasise that commitments made by the MHA, including constitutional safeguards under Article 371 A, G and F, and establishment of a democratic governance structure for Ladakh with legislative, administrative and financial powers and proposed executive body to be headed by a chief minister, should be fulfilled,” he said.
According to Dorjay, the LAB has prepared a draft proposal for a new Union Territory-level elected body vested with legislative, financial and executive powers along with constitutional safeguards under Article 371.
The draft will first be shared with the KDA, which has also prepared its own proposal. “Both the groups will discuss the drafts, arrive at a consensus and submit a joint proposal to the MHA for further deliberations,” he said.
The LAB and KDA leaders have also urged the MHA to honour the “in-principle” agreements reached during the May 22 meeting and make the official minutes of meeting (MoM) public. The Ladakh MP Haji Haneefa Jan was also present during the talks.
According to the joint statement, MHA officials explained that the only reason why Ladakh cannot be made a state at the moment is that it currently lacks adequate revenue generation to meet the revenue expenditures like salaries of employees.
However, the new setup will lead Ladakh towards full statehood when it meets the revenue criteria, it said. The KDA co chairman and LAB co chairman had stated that they look forward to working out finer operational details with the MHA in consultation with legal and constitutional experts.
On June 23, a shutdown was observed across Ladakh UT in response to a bandh call by the LAB and the KDA, amalgam of political, social, religious, trade, students and civil society groups of Leh and Kargil districts, to protest against the Centre’s alleged backtracking on key decisions by failing to incorporate key points agreed during May 22 talks.
The two groups accused the government of widening a “trust deficit” by failing to include key understandings reached during talks on May 22 MoM. They also criticised the administration led by the Lieutenant Governor, alleging that decisions on issues including liquor policy, land, power, transport and tourism had been taken without consulting locals.
Since the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A and bifurcation of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state into two Union territories, the LAB and KDA are jointly spearheading an agitation for grant of the 6th Schedule staus, statehood with legislature, separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts, and a Public Service Commission for Ladakh. The outcome of the July 2 meeting is likely to determine the future course of dialogue.
Draft proposal for new UT-level elected body
According to LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay, the body has prepared a draft proposal for a new Union Territory-level elected body vested with legislative, financial and executive powers along with constitutional safeguards under Article 371. The draft will first be shared with the KDA, which has also prepared its own proposal.
