*Govt not averse to some major demands
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 4: The Central Government is expected to hold another round of talks with Ladakh representatives after elections to Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) Kargil are completed and there were enough indications that some of the demands voiced by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) may find favour with the Government.
Last round of talks between Union Home Ministry and leadership of LAB and KDA was held on June 19 in New Delhi after 22 months in which it was decided that next round will be held after finalization of agenda. However, from July 11 to August 25, Ladakh leadership remained busy with the visit of Tibetan spiritual leader The Dalai Lama and now elections are being held to the LAHDC Kargil on September 10 followed by counting on 12th.
Reliable sources told the Excelsior that some representatives of the MHA remained in touch with a senior leader of Leh Apex Body but the meeting couldn’t be held as LAB leadership as well as others leaders were busy with the visit of The Dalai Lama.
“There has been consensus on meeting which could take place either by the end of this month or early next month,” the sources said, adding the meeting could be fruitful as the Government of India is positive towards the issues of Ladakh except certain demands to which it was averse.
Four-point agenda of the LAB and KDA include grant of Sixth Schedule status and Statehood for Ladakh, two Lok Sabha seats-one each for Leh and Kargil- and job opportunities for the locals.
They have also demanded constitution of the Public Service Commission (PSC) for Ladakh but said if it can’t be constituted, Ladakh should be included in the PSC of Jammu and Kashmir on the pattern of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court.
However, they have stressed, the Ladakh Resident Certificate (LRC) should be made mandatory for all kind of recruitments.
The Central Government has ruled out Statehood.
The LAB and KDA leaders to whom the Excelsior spoke were confident that the Central Government especially the Union Home Ministry headed by Amit Shah which has been dealing with issues of Ladakh through Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai will take favourable view of all issues.
Parliament elections are due in next eight months now. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had won Ladakh Lok Sabha seat, which is lone constituency in the Union Territory, for two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019. In 2014, Thupstan Chhewang, who now heads LAB as well as Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), won the seat for BJP while in 2019, Jamyang Tsering Namgayal retained the seat for the party.
In the last meeting held in New Delhi on June 19, Union MoS Home Nityanand Rai and the top MHA officials listened to issues raised by LAB and KDA and assured that the talks will go on and the High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting will be called.
The LAB and KDA have reservations over the HPC which headed by Nityanand Rai was constituted by the MHA on January 4 this year. They had objected to inclusion of some leaders and wanted that representatives of LAB and KDA in the HPC should be finalized with their consent.
Moreover, they were of the view that their agenda should be part of the HPC which is precondition for their attending the next meeting.
The MHA had on January 3 set up a High Powered Committee headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai comprising then LG of Ladakh RK Mathur, Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgayal and many leaders from Leh and Kargil.
However, the LAB and KDA in their meeting on January 7 decided to boycott the HPC on the ground that neither their agenda nor the names of members recommended by them were part of the HPC. Later, the LAB and KDA sent names to the Union Home Ministry which they wanted to be included in the HPC.
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