What’s on the agenda as Home Ministry meets Ladakh stakeholders this month?

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) plans to meet with key stakeholders from Ladakh on October 15, according to officials. These talks follow a prior session in Delhi over a month ago and come at a time when discussions are ongoing regarding an additional constitutional provision and a proposed Union Territory-level elected body for Ladakh.

After the last meeting, the Ladakh administration suggested a new governance model that would be neither a state nor a Union Territory with a legislature, but a unique arrangement requiring approval from Parliament. The MHA had previously sent a list of questions to representatives from the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, the groups leading the push for greater democratic representation in Ladakh.

These questions, raised during a meeting on September 9, asked for their input on the structure, form, and composition of a UT-level governance body with executive and financial powers. The MHA's questionnaire seeks detailed answers on seven critical issues, including the body's formal name, composition, and representation, as well as its relationship with existing Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils.

The ministry has also asked for Ladakhi representatives' input on the functions that should primarily be handled by the UT-level body for consistent development and efficient administration, as well as those that should remain at the district level to protect local interests. Additionally, the MHA has sought clarity on various concerns, such as the principles guiding power allocation between the UT-level body and the district councils, the subjects that should fall under the UT-level elected body's jurisdiction while respecting the Constitution's basic structure, and the need for a legal opinion on the uniqueness of Ladakh's model.

These issues are expected to be central topics during the upcoming discussions on October 15. In September, the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) and the Leh Apex Body (ABL) presented a list of "non-negotiable" demands to the MHA, which included a directly elected, constitutionally empowered UT-level legislature. Over the past three years, the agitation for greater democratic control in Ladakh has been driven by a four-point agenda: statehood for Ladakh, safeguards under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, reservation of jobs for the region's youth, and separate parliamentary constituencies for the two parts of the territory.