LAB, KDA call joint meet in Jammu on Jan 7 to discuss order
*17-member Comm include LG, MP, CECs of Hill Councils
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Jan 3: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today set up a High Powered Committee (HPC) headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai to discuss long-pending issues of Ladakh but it skipped direct reference to Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and made no mention of Statehood to Ladakh and two Parliamentary seats, three main demands of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) which have been agitating for last one and a half years now.
The LAB and KDA have called their joint meeting in Jammu on January 7 to discuss the MHA order and decide future course of action. As of now, they haven’t suspended their agitation but will take a call on this in January 7 meeting.
An MHA order said the HPC will discuss measures to protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and strategic importance, ensure protection of land and employment for the people of Ladakh, discuss measures for inclusive development and employment generation and measures related to empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) of Leh and Kargil.
While first item in the order referred to discussion on measures to protect region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration geographical location and strategic importance which indirectly refers to Fifth or Sixth schedule of Constitution but there was no direct mention of debate on any of the two schedules.
Moreover, the order has no mention of discussion on Statehood for Ladakh and grant of two Parliamentary seats as against present one.
Grant of Sixth Schedule, Statehood and two Parliamentary seats to Ladakh are major demands of the LAB and KDA which have launched various phases of agitation together during past about one and a half years.
LAB chairman and two-time Lok Sabha member from Ladakh Thupstan Chhewang told the Excelsior that the LAB and KDA have called a joint meeting of their leaders on January 7 in Jammu to debate the MHA order and give their reaction.
On no direct reference to grant of Sixth Schedule status and Statehood to Ladakh in the order, Chhewang said all this will be agenda of the meeting and they will jointly discuss their strategy.
Another row has erupted over the order on the inclusion of Tsewang Nurboo in the HPC mentioning him as president of Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) Kargil.
A handout issued by the LBA Kargil said Norboo is not the president of LBA Kargil. It said Skarma Dadul is recognised president of the LBA Kargil and he should be included in the Committee instead of Tsewang Norboo.
As per the MHA order, the HPC headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai as Chairman will have Radha Krishna Mathur, Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, MP Ladakh, Chairpersons-cum-CECs of LAHDC Leh and Kargil, Joint Secretary, Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs in MHA, Director/ Deputy Secretary (Ladakh), Department of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh Affairs, MHA as Member Secretary and one nominated member from MHA.
The HPC will also have five members of LAB and four from KDA.
They include Thupstan Chhewang, Chairman LAB and president LBA, Nawang Rigzin Jora, former Minister and president, Territorial Congress Committee Ladakh, Ashraf Ali Barcha, president, Anjuman-e-Islamia; Shia body, Leh, Acharya Stanzin Wangtak, president, All Ladakh Gompa Association and Kushok Thiksey alias Nawang Chamba Stanzin alias Thiksey Rinpoche, Leh, all from LAB and Asgar Ali Karblai, co-chairman KDA and Working President Territorial Congress Committee, Ladakh, Qamar Ali Akhoon, co-chairman KDA and senior NC leader, Sajjad Kargili, social activist and representative, Islamia School Kargil and Tsewang Nurboo, president LBA Kargil.
In winter session of Parliament, a Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs had recommended to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs to consider examining the Union Territory of Ladakh in Fifth or Sixth Schedule, but the MHA evaded direct reply saying main objective of inclusion of tribal population under the Schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development which the UT administration has already been taking care of since its creation.
The Committee had recommended that possibility of including Ladakh in Fifth or Sixth Schedule may be examined.
However, in its response to recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs said the main objective for inclusion of tribal population under Fifth/Sixth schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development, which, the UT administration of Ladakh has already been taking care of since its creation.
“Sufficient funds are being provided to Ladakh to meet its overall developmental requirements,” the Ministry had said.
Last year, both Autonomous Hill Development Councils of Leh and Kargil had passed separate resolutions seeking Sixth Schedule like status to Ladakh. Leh Council is headed by the BJP while NC is ruling the Council in Kargil.
The BJP is, however, averse to the demand of Statehood for Ladakh saying UT was the demand of Ladakhis for past several years which was fulfilled by the Union Government on August 5, 2019.
Worthwhile to mention here that Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had last met the joint delegation of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance during his visit to Leh on August 29, 2021 during which he had assured that a Committee would be set up by the Home Ministry for talks with the two bodies of Leh and Kargil.
Meanwhile, LAHDC Leh CEC Tashi Gyalson extended his gratitude on behalf of the Hill Council and people of Leh district to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for constituting the HPC to discuss measures to protect the unique culture and language, to ensure the protection of land and employment, to discuss measures for inclusive development and employment generation in the region and to empower both the LAHDCs of Leh and Kargil districts of the Union Territory of Ladakh.
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