The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) will convene a crucial joint meeting in Leh on August 11 to finalise the steps they will take to demand Sixth Schedule status and Statehood for Ladakh.
The developments come as the Union Tribal Affairs Ministry deflected responsibility for the Sixth Schedule to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjey Lakrook and KDA senior leader Sajjad Kargili told reporters that the meeting will discuss MHA's lack of progress on their demands.
"LAB will host the meeting this time. We will discuss the issues and decide our strategy," Lakrook said.
According to reports, Kargili added that nearly all 11 members of the KDA will attend the meeting, where collective decisions will be taken on the Sixth Schedule, Statehood, and other matters.
This joint meeting is the first between LAB and KDA since the Parliamentary elections in Ladakh, which saw the BJP lose the seat after two consecutive terms in 2014 and 2019.
There are indications that the Central Government may empower the Leh and Kargil Autonomous Hill Development Councils to protect land, culture, and jobs for the people of Ladakh, potentially announce new districts, and address employment and other issues, but may not agree to the Sixth Schedule and Statehood demands.
Meanwhile, in response to questions from Congress MPs Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka and Tanuj Punia, Union Minister of State for Tribal Affairs Durgadas Uikey conveyed in the Lok Sabha that the issue of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the MHA.
The MPs had enquired about the Government's plans to extend the Sixth Schedule provisions to Ladakh and the reasons for the delay in granting tribal area status to the region.
Uikey stated that the MHA has retained the democratic representation and decision-making powers of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDCs) post the formation of the Union Territory.
"Periodic elections for the Hill Development Councils, Panchayati Raj Institutions, and Members of Parliament are conducted to ensure continued democratic representation in the UT," he said.
The Union Minister mentioned that the MHA has set up a high-powered committee under the Minister of State for Home Affairs for Ladakh to ensure the protection of the region's unique culture, language, land, and employment.
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