mha-offers-art-371-guarantee-to-ladakh-amid-6th-schedule-deadlock

The Ministry of Home Affairs offers a fresh proposal to representative bodies as talks on statehood, extension of the sixth schedule, and establishment of a separate public service commission, along with job reservations, commenced. The representative bodies are seeking the release of the climate activist Sonam Wangchuk as part of their demands.

 

The centre has pushed for the extension of Article 371 to Ladakh, which is aimed at protecting the demography of the region, like in the Northeast.

 

Just over a month after four people lost their lives in the violent protests in Ladakh, when angry Gen Z protesters torched the BJP office, along with several stranded vehicles in the region, the talks are witnessing an intensification from both sides, aiming to resolve the issue pending since 2019.

 

The MHA’s high-powered committee hinted to the two groups representing the aspirations of the Ladakhi people, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and the Leh Apex Body (LAB), that special provisions under Article 371 of the Constitution can be considered for Ladakh. Yet, both groups have demanded inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides tribal status and also allows autonomy and self-governance.

 

 

Additionally, deadlock over Wangchuk’s detentions continues to remain an unresolved issue between the two sides.

 

Article 371 deals with “Temporary, Transitional and Special Provisions” and exists under Part XXI of the Constitution. The said article is applicable in 12 States: Nagaland, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim, and Karnataka.

 

CherringDorjayLakruk, co-convenor of the LAB and the president of the influential Ladakh Buddhist Association, said, “The committee offered an extension of Article 371 to Ladakh; however, we have expressed our demand clearly that any settlement to the issue would include the extension of the sixth schedule.”

 

He added that “While officials heard us patiently, took notes of our demands and said they would come back soon, without any assurance.”

 

The deadlock over the sixth schedule continues to hamper the talks between the two sides amid the centre’s reluctance to consider providing the sixth schedule to Ladakh.