The two important regional oragnisations, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), protested saying they would not participate in the talks the Union government has organised on October 6 in Delhi to sort out the issues
A battle of nerves is playing out in the Union Territory of Ladakh. First, the serene land and its peace-loving people were rattled by the unprecedented violence that accompanied a protest to press for popular demands but resulted in the loss of lives of four persons in Leh on September 24. The Union government responded with arrests, curfews, internet shutdowns and the use of police force.
The two important regional oragnisations, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), protested saying they would not participate in the talks the Union government has organised on October 6 in Delhi to sort out the issues. They have put a set of pre-conditions before the Union government for their participation in the talks which include the release climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others arrested in Leh and a judicial probe into the police firing on protestors.
It is an undeniable fact that the people had high hopes on the Union government carving out a Union Territory from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir as it will fulfill their democratic aspirations and meet their developmental goals. But they saw no major change happening in the region, except declarations. They now have placed a charter of key demands: Statehood for Ladakh, constitutional protection for tribal practices under the Sixth Schedule, job reservations for locals, and the allocation of separate parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil.
For a change, the Union government has not flexed its muscles and instead expressed its willingness to engage in “constructive and outcome-focused discussions” when the regional groups announced their refusal to be part of the talks. Instead, it reiterated the importance of the dialogue mechanism. This is a welcome shift.
The Union government must consider the demands of the organisations for the start of the talks and then assure them that the larger issues will be addressed within the democratic and constitutional framework. The last thing the erstwhile state can afford is popular unrest at the grassroorts level. The Union government must act quickly.
