SRINAGAR: After the meeting with leaders of Ladakh in national capital on December 4, the Ministry of Home Affairs has asked the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the amalgam of various political, social, trade and religious groups of Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh UT, to submit a comprehensive document of their demands.
LAB executive member Chering Dorje said that the MHA has sought a comprehensive document on demands from the LAB And KDA. “We had already apprised the Centre about our 4-point demands during our meeting with Union MoS Home Nityanand Rai and Home Ministry officials in New Delhi,” he said.
Dorje said that the demands include granting of statehood with legislature, 6th Schedule status, two Lok Sabha seats and one Rajya Sabha seat and jobs to locals in Ladakh UT.
He said that they would again be submitting their charter of demands to the MHA. The drafting of the document will be finalised in the joint meeting of LAB and KDA leaders. Sources said that in the December 4 meeting, the Home Ministry delegation had shown cold shoulder to two of the demands – granting of 6th schedule and statehood to Ladakh. However, Dorje ruled out any compromise on any of their 4 demands.
“There is no question of compromise on our demands. We will continue to struggle for it,” he said. Dorje said that after the Article 370 verdict of the Supreme Court, they have consulted the lawyers and there is thinking that “if statehood can be restored to J&K, why it cannot be restored to Ladakh as both were made Union Territories under the same law”. The LAB leader said there is possibility of another meeting between LAB and KDA leaders with the Union MoS Home and MHA officials in New Delhi after the conclusion of winter session of Parliament.