Ladakh's Constitutional Status: The Centre held a meeting with the leaders of the Ladakh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance to discuss the issue of the Union Territory of Ladakh. A proposal was made to add a Constitutional provision similar to Article 371(K) to provide additional protection to Ladakh.
Ladakh To Get Additional Constitutional Safeguards
Ashish Kundra, Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, said that a sub-committee meeting was held yesterday at the Ministry of Home Affairs. Kundra said the meeting focused on constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, based on the discussions held at the previous meeting, particularly the inclusion of a special provision under Article 371 to protect the interests of the local people.
"We are moving towards a decision on creating a union territory-level body with members directly elected from constituencies and with legislative and financial powers. The next meeting is scheduled for October, and we hope to have a detailed draft of the Constitutional Amendment Bill ready by then," he added.
What Will Happen In The New Provision?
This proposed arrangement would provide for a directly elected governing body. It would also provide certain safeguards for the people of Ladakh. The people of Ladakh would be protected for their land, natural resources, culture, and environment. Legislative powers were also emphasised.
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UT-Based Committee To Be Formed
Kundra stated that a UT-level body will be formed to provide constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, which will be directly elected and will have legislative, executive, and financial powers. The process for forming this body will be parliamentary, requiring a two-thirds majority. Following the Constitutional Amendment Bill, a law will also be introduced, regulating the powers of this body. This process will be included.
What Is Article 371(K)?
A special provision to be added to Article 371. Article 371 protects the unique cultural, linguistic, and social identities of the states. Article 371 includes sub-clauses A through J, which ensure the protection of the states' interests. For example, Article 371 applies to Maharashtra and Gujarat. Article 371(A) prohibits Parliament from interfering in the religious, social, and cultural practices of the Naga people. This means that only the state legislature has the authority to make such decisions. Article 371(B) covers the tribal areas of Assam. Article 371(F) grants special rights to Sikkim. Article 371(G) prohibits the direct application of parliamentary laws to land and customs in Mizoram.
Wangchuk Threatens Fresh Agitation
On the other hand, activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday threatened to launch a fresh agitation from September 19 to 24. "Will launch a fresh stir from September 19 to 24 over Ladakh issues if we don't get any assurance from the government," he warned.
Earlier in the day, he, in an X post, criticised the meeting held between the government and the Ladakh delegation. "Leaders of Apex Body of Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance are rather disappointed by the Sub Committee level meeting in New Delhi on 9th Sept. There was hardly anything new beyond the last meeting four months ago... No draft prepared by MHA to discuss, no response on the list of Non-negotiables Ladakh had sent a month ago, not even an assurance of not doing any major irreversible restructuring of local governance, land transfer policies etc before a legitimate democratic Assembly is in place," his X post read.
"The only major outcome of the meeting was perhaps to fix the next meeting date in October. This is why we're reminded of famous comedian Jaspal Bhatti's meetings today. As we had guessed, this meeting on 9th Sept seems to be just a red herring to distract Ladakh from the massive Leh to Kargil Padyatra march that was to start from 10th Sept. Trust is diminishing; distrust is growing, unfortunately," he said.
(With Jagran.com Inputs)