Centre rejects Sixth Schedule, statehood for Ladakh, offers council

JAMMU: The Centre has made it wide that Ladakh volition not beryllium granted Sixth Schedule presumption oregon statehood, 2 cardinal demands of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the region’s 2 large governmental organisations said aft talks successful New Delhi past week.The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution allows peculiar administrative arrangements for tribal areas to safeguard autonomy, civilization and land. Speaking publically for the archetypal clip aft the Feb 4 talks with a Union location ministry (MHA) high-powered committee, Ladakh leaders said the Centre had alternatively offered a “territorial council” model.Under this proposal, main enforcement councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) volition beryllium designated arsenic CM and the lawman main enforcement councillor arsenic lawman CM.“We telephone it a farce. LAB and KDA rejected it (the offer), but for 1 KDA member, Kunzes Dolma,” KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbali said astatine a gathering successful Kargil connected Wednesday.According to Karbali, Dolma had earlier supported KDA’s docket and was nominated arsenic a subordinate for the talks. “She told the high-powered committee that a conspiracy was hatched to region her and that she is satisfied with the Union Territory presumption for Ladakh.

We volition not tolerate anyone, whether Dolma oregon anyone else, who plays with Ladakhi identity,” Karbali said.As Karbali spoke, galore successful the Kargil gathering raised slogans against Dolma and chanted enactment for Sonam Wangchuk, LAB subordinate and clime activistic jailed implicit unit successful Sept 2025 during statehood protests successful Leh.After the talks negotiations with the MHA committee headed by inferior Union location curate Home Nityanand Rai, Karbali and Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) president Tsering Dorje Lakrook had described the talks arsenic inconclusive.“When we reiterated Sixth Schedule presumption and statehood, they (MHA officials) argued that the Sixth Schedule has go ‘defunct’ and mostly powerless. We disagreed. Supreme Court has repeatedly held Sixth Schedule arsenic a instrumentality successful itself and a beardown law safeguard. If it is almighty successful the Northeastern states, wherefore is it abruptly being called anemic for Ladakh?” Karbali said.On statehood, Karbali said the MHA’s main objection was that Ladakh lacks capable fiscal resources. “When we asked that our ineligible experts beryllium allowed to explicate this, we were told they could not beryllium called into the meeting. There is nary Indian authorities that has each assets wrong its ain territory,” Karbali argued.He reiterated the LAB and the KDA stay agreed successful pressing for Sixth Schedule presumption and statehood arsenic their halfway demands.