The Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) has announced that it will not participate in talks with the Union government until activist Sonam Wangchuk and others detained along with him are released, and a time-bound judicial inquiry is initiated into the deaths of four people during recent violence in Ladakh.
KDA founder-member Sajjad Kargili, in an interview with this paper, confirmed the decision, asserting that meaningful dialogue is not possible under the current circumstances, despite the Centre’s willingness to hold talks on Ladakh.
The KDA’s move comes a day after the Apex Body, Leh (ABL), the other major group leading the joint agitation for statehood for Ladakh and inclusion under the sixth schedule of the Constitution, withdrew from the talks, saying that dialogue with the Centre would remain suspended until normalcy is restored in the region.
In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)said that the government continues to welcome discussions with both ABL and KDA through the High Powered Committee (HPC) on Ladakh or any other appropriate platform.
“We cannot hold talks with the Centre when they opened fire on our youth and arrested many of the protestors under draconian laws. We demand a time-bound judicial probe into the deaths and the unconditional release of all activists, including Wangchuk,” said Kargili, adding that if the government fails to meet these demands, the agitation will continue. The KDA would soon hold consultations with the Apex Body to decide the next mode of agitation, he said.
Kargili also criticized the LG administration for its lack of engagement. “After the incident, the LG office has not called any elected representative to review the ongoing situation,” he said.
Raising serious concerns over the government's handling of the violence, he said, “Our question is: Who gave the order to open fire on the protesters?” he asked.
“There were no water cannons, no barbed wire, and no barricades. Yet, the authorities claim they had prior intelligence about the protests and had deployed additional CRPF forces a month in advance. If that was the case, then the responsibility lies squarely with the administration. Why were no preventive measures taken, despite prior knowledge of the protest?” he asked.
Kargili also dismissed the Centre’s claims that the dialogue mechanism established with the ABL and KDA has yielded good results in the form of increased reservations to the STs of Ladakh, and women’s reservations in LAHDCs. “There is no Public Service Commission, and no recruitment has taken place for gazetted or other key administrative posts,” he said. “They have not implemented the reservation policy, and even the elections to the Hill Council have not been held yet,” he added. Kargili also pointed to the growing frustration among Ladakh's youth due to rising unemployment and lack of opportunities. “For just 500 jobs in one district, around 47,000 people have applied”.
The way forward is to listen to the people of Ladakh and provide constitutional guarantees under the Sixth Schedule. “These were the promises of the BJP during the 2019 election and also the 2020 elections in Ladakh. So that should be fulfilled as soon as possible,” he said.
