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Leh apex body, Kargil Democratic Alliance warn of intensifying stir against Union’s high-powered committee
The members also objected to the composition of members of the high-powered committee representing Leh apex body and KDA as the government has arbitrarily excluded and included members without consultation with the groups.
Days after a high-powered committee was constituted by the Union home ministry for Ladakh, two representative organisations from Leh and Kargil, which have steered protests in the past over demands of statehood and protection of land and jobs, on Saturday rejected the formation of the committee and decided to intensify their protests.
The Leh apex body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), after their meeting on Saturday, said they will not participate in any meeting headed by a committee that is empowered to discuss the four issues statehood for — union territory (UT) Ladakh, safeguard under the sixth schedule of the Constitution of India in order to protect the interest of the tribal people of Ladakh, formation of Public Service Commission and Reservation of jobs for youth of Ladakh and creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil.
“The Leh apex body and the KDA decided not to accept the formation of the high-powered committee and attend any meeting as the said committee isn’t mandated to discuss issues raised by the APEX and the KDA,” said the statement signed by the leaders.
The members also objected to the composition of members of the high-powered committee representing Leh apex body and KDA as the government has arbitrarily excluded and included members without consultation with the groups.
“The government should include all the names as proposed by Leh Apex and KDA body in the year 2021 as per home ministry’s instruction,” the statement said.
Protest rally at Jammu on Jan 15
The Leh apex body said the agitation will continue and be intensified till their demands are fulfilled, adding, “In this connection, the Apex and KDA propose to have protest rally at Jammu on January 15 followed by protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on third week of February. It may also be clarified that both the bodies have decided to intensify the agitation during 2023.”
On Monday, the Union ministry of home affairs had issued an order constituting a 17-member committee to “discuss measures to protect the region’s unique culture and language taking into consideration its geographical location and its strategic importance”.
Monday’s order also stated that the committee will also discuss measures for inclusive development and employment generation in the region empowerment of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh and Kargil.
The composition of the committee included minister of state for home Nityanand Rai, lieutenant governor of Ladakh Radha Krishna Mathur, member of Parliament from Ladakh Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Leh chairperson/CEC, Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Kargil joint secretary among others.
The two organisations, Leh apex body and KDA, had earlier on November 2, 2022, come together to hold a massive protest in Ladakh to demand statehood for the UT, separate Lok Sabha seats for its two regions and its inclusion under the Constitution’s sixth schedule to safeguard land, employment, and cultural identity of the local population.
