Govt agrees to set up high-powered Panel very soon
Bandh in Ladakh, BJP distances from two bodies
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Aug 28: A midnight call from Union Home Minister Amit Shah to Leh Apex Body (LAB) chief Thupstan Chhewang led to the joint meeting of LAB and KDA (Kargil Democratic Alliance) with Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai in Leh this afternoon in which the Minister announced constitution of a high-level committee shortly to take up issues raised by the two bodies of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Significantly, however, despite call by Shah to Chhewang and meeting chaired by Rai, who is also a prominent BJP leader, the Ladakh unit of the BJP went ahead with its stand of dissociating from the LAB and didn’t attend the meeting. BJP UT chief and Lok Sabha member from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Leh Hill Development Council Chairman-cum-CEC Tashi Gyalson and BJP district president Tashi Khachutse didn’t attend the meeting.
Thupstan, a former two-time Lok Sabha MP from Ladakh who is heading the LAB, told the Excelsior that he got the call from Amit Shah last midnight after the joint bandh call in Ladakh given by the LAB and KDA and was told that there were no intentions on part of the Government to ignore the two bodies and that no invite to them by the MoS Home might have been result of the confusion.
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“Shah assured me that the MoS Home will immediately contact the LAB and KDA and invite them for talks,” he said, adding in the morning both the bodies received telephone messages from Nityanand Rai for meeting in the afternoon to discuss their issues.
He said they personally invited the BJP leaders to join the LAB for talks with the Minister of State for Home but they didn’t turn up. As exclusively reported by the Excelsior, the BJP has dissociated itself from the LAB for frequent change of stance.
The LAB and KDA had last night given call for bandh in Ladakh today as they were not invited for the talks while some other groups were separately called for meeting by Nityanand Rai, who had reached Leh yesterday to join the Parliament Outreach Programme.
“During the meeting, the MoS Home assured us that a high-level Committee will be set up very shortly comprising five representative of LAB, four from KDA, MP Ladakh, UT representatives, two CEC-cum-Chairpersons of Leh and Kargil Hill Development Councils and officials of the Home Ministry,” the LAB chief said after over an hour long meeting in which nearly a dozen representatives of LAB and KDA were present.
While almost complete bandh was observed in Leh and Kargil today, Thupstan said there will be no further strike as the MHA has now formally invited them for talks and also assured setting up of high-powered committees for discussion on their issues.
“Our demands remain unchanged which were projected in August 2 meeting between LAB and KDA,” Chhewang said.
The demands include full-fledged Statehood for Ladakh, Constitutional safeguards under Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, two Parliamentary seats for Ladakh, protection of jobs, land, culture, language, identity, environment and minerals etc of Ladakh.
The LAB chief said jobs at present are the major issue as no fresh posts have been advertised for the past two years since Ladakh was made the Union Territory leading to frustration among the unemployed youth.
While the Union Minister of State for Home didn’t issue any official statement after the meeting, KDA leader Haji Asgar Ali Karbalaie briefed reporters outside the meeting venue that the Minister has given two assurances very categorically including constitution of a high-level committee for talks with LAB and KDA and issuance of Recruitment Policy so that the youth get absorbed.
“We hope the Minister will fulfill the promise as earlier also the Home Ministry had given assurances but nothing happened. However, the Minister told us that he is a son of the farmer and his assurance should be taken for granted,” Karbalaie said.
Regarding other demands like Constitutional safeguards, two Parliamentary seats, Recruitment Policy etc, the KDA leader said these issues will be discussed when the joint delegation meets the high-powered committee.
Karbalaie, however, said that today’s talks were result of pressure built by the LAB and KDA by giving a call for bandh in Ladakh. Otherwise, he added, they won’t have even called them for the talks.
On BJP’s dissociation from the talks, Karbalaie said both Amit Shah and Nityanand Rai are the BJP leaders too apart from the Ministers and they have stated that LAB and KDA are representatives of Ladakh.
“The MHA has recognized that LAB and KDA represent all,” he asserted.
Another KDA leader Qamar Ali Akhoon said the Union Minister wasn’t at fault and some other elements might have created controversy by not sending invite to the LAB and KDA for talks.
The talks were held in very cordial atmosphere, he added.
Meanwhile, a complete shutdown was observed in Leh and Kargil today in response to the call given by the LAB and KDA.
Shops were closed and traffic was off the roads at most of the places.
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