Both bodies want issues to be discussed on table
Joint meeting of two organizations shortly
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 8: In a significant development aimed at preventing agitation in sensitive Union Territory of Ladakh, the Centre is reported to have sent feelers to certain leaders that dialogue can be held with representatives of the two districts if they dilute demand for the Statehood.
While there was no official comment from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), reliable sources confirmed to the Excelsior that the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) which earlier held talks with two bodies, appears to be in no mood to discuss demand for the Statehood to Ladakh but is ready for talks after they dilute the demand.
Insiders said the Ladakh representatives have conveyed to the mediators that everything will be discussed on table and talks must be held on all four major demands including Statehood for Ladakh, Sixth Schedule like status, two Parliamentary seats instead of present one and creation of more job opportunities.
“The LAB and KDA appeared to be of the view that talks can be held on the table and the Central Government can convey its stand to representatives of Ladakh during a meeting. But for that, the MHA first had to set up a Panel for holding dialogue with LAB and KDA jointly as promised by Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai during his visit to Leh,” they added.
The feeler by the Central Government clearly indicated that they were averse to demand of the Statehood to Ladakh as they had fulfilled decades old demand, which mainly originated in Leh district, for Union Territory status to Himalayan region on August 5, 2019, the day erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was stripped off special status and bifurcated into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
The BJP has already dissociated itself from demand of the Statehood to Ladakh raised by the LAB and KDA but is fully supportive of granting Sixth Schedule like status to the Union Territory and jobs for the unemployed youth. The BJP is of the view that grant of Union Territory status was major demand of the Himalayan region which was fulfilled by the Central Government on August 5, 2019.
Sources indicated that the LAB and KDA too are in no mood to shun demand for Statehood and want that the Union Home Ministry should discuss all demands on the table and offer its proposal as to what they can give to Ladakh. However, for that the MHA had to call the meeting first.
Simultaneously, the two organizations are also gearing up for mass movement if there is no breakthrough on their demands. The LAB has already held its meeting and now a joint sitting of LAB and KDA is expected shortly.
In addition to Statehood to Ladakh, the LAB and KDA have been demanding Sixth Schedule like status, two Parliamentary seats—one each in Leh and Kargil and job opportunities for the youth.
Charging the Central Government with adopting “delaying tactics”, sources within the LAB and KDA said Nityanand Rai during talks with them on August 29 in Leh had assured constitution of a high-level committee shortly for further dialogue but even after passage of nearly six and half months not even the Panel has been set up so far what to say of initiating the dialogue.
“This shows the Centre is adopting delaying tactics,” they said.
It was on August 2, 2021 that the ideologically different representatives of Kargil and Leh districts joined hands to seek full-fledged Statehood along with Constitutional safeguards for the region.
The LAB and KDA have threatened to launch mass movement in entire Ladakh this summer in support of their demands if there is no headway in addressing the issues raised by them by the Union Home Ministry.
It may be mentioned here that the LAB and KDA had given call for bandh on August 29, 2021 during three days visit of Nityanand Rai to Leh as he hadn’t extended an invitation to the two bodies for talks and instead invited many other organizations for interaction. However, Union Home Minister Amit Shah rang up Thupstan Chhewang that night and assured that both the bodies will be called for talks by Rai. The dialogue was held the next day with two bodies. Since then, there has been no communication between the MHA and the representatives of LAB and KDA.
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