Editor's Pick: Demand for Statehood | Ladakh outfits harden their stance

In the intensification of demands raised since the striking down of Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and bifurcation into two Union Territories, two of the main socio-political bodies of the UT of Ladakh - the Leh Apex Body (LAB ) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) - have hardened their stance on securing Statehood. The two bodies ​​on Saturday rejected the high-powered committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry to ensure the protection of land and jobs for the people of the UT and ​​to resolve its “outstanding issues”. The LAB and KDA members said that they would boycott the MHA committee as it had not been mandated to discuss the four key demands raised by them. These are Statehood, constitutional safeguard under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, formation of Public Service Commission and reservation of jobs for the youth of Ladakh, and creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil. The sixth schedule in the Constitution protects tribal populations, providing autonomy to the communities through the creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture etc. Presently, 10 autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. According to the 2011 Census, Ladakh’s population is 2.74 lakh, of which nearly 80% belong to tribal communities. Civil society groups have been making these demands since 2019 and the fear of big businesses and conglomerates taking away land and jobs from the local people has contributed to the situation. The 26-member LAB or the Peoples Movement for Constitutional safeguard under the sixth schedule, was formed in 2020. Its members have been alleging that decisions in the Leh council are being dictated by bureaucrats and that the UT administration is allotting land bypassing the council. They have also alleged the stagnation of recruitment in government jobs. Now, rejecting the MHA’s high-powered committee announced on January 2, the two bodies in Ladakh held an emergency meeting in Jammu and threatened to intensify agitation over the issues highlighted by them. They have decided to hold a protest rally in Jammu on January 15 followed by a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in the third week of February. The hardening of the stance by the UT’s socio-political outfits indicates that the impasse with the Centre has also deepened. While the UT has shut down at least twice and protested on several occasions in the past three years over these demands, the Centre has not shown keenness in giving any special status to Ladakh. The MHA has said that the main objective for the inclusion of tribal populations under the sixth schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development, which, the UT administration has already been taking care of. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? 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[Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( Demand for Statehood | Ladakh outfits harden their stance In the intensification of demands raised since the striking down of Kashmir’s special status in 2019 and bifurcation into two Union Territories, two of the main socio-political bodies of the UT of Ladakh - the Leh Apex Body (LAB ) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) - have [hardened their stance on securing Statehood](. The two bodies ​​on Saturday rejected the [high-powered committee constituted]( by the Union Home Ministry to ensure the protection of land and jobs for the people of the UT and ​​to resolve its “outstanding issues”. The LAB and KDA members said that they would boycott the MHA committee as it had not been mandated to discuss the four key demands raised by them. These are Statehood, constitutional safeguard under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, formation of Public Service Commission and reservation of jobs for the youth of Ladakh, and creation of two separate parliamentary constituencies for Leh and Kargil. The sixth schedule in the Constitution protects tribal populations, providing autonomy to the communities through the creation of autonomous development councils which can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture etc. Presently, 10 autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. According to the 2011 Census, Ladakh’s population is 2.74 lakh, of which nearly 80% belong to tribal communities. Civil society groups [have been making these demands]( since 2019 and the fear of big businesses and conglomerates taking away land and jobs from the local people has contributed to the situation. The 26-member LAB or the Peoples Movement for Constitutional safeguard under the sixth schedule, was formed in 2020. Its members have been alleging that decisions in the Leh council are being dictated by bureaucrats and that the UT administration is allotting land bypassing the council. They have also alleged the stagnation of recruitment in government jobs. Now, rejecting the MHA’s high-powered committee announced on January 2, the two bodies in Ladakh held an emergency meeting in Jammu and threatened to intensify agitation over the issues highlighted by them. They have decided to hold a protest rally in Jammu on January 15 followed by a dharna at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in the third week of February. The hardening of the stance by the UT’s socio-political outfits indicates that the impasse with the Centre has also deepened. While the UT has shut down at least twice and protested on several occasions in the past three years over these demands, the Centre has not shown keenness in giving any special status to Ladakh. The MHA has said that the main objective for the inclusion of tribal populations under the sixth schedule is to ensure their overall socio-economic development, which, the UT administration has already been taking care of. Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Head over to our newsletter subscription page to sign up for Editor’s Pick and more. [Click here.]( The Hindu Explains [Arrow][The escalation on the India-China border]( [Arrow][Will shutting markets fix Pakistan’s economy?]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The Assembly election in Meghalaya is expected to be held in which month of 2023? - February - March - April - June o know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here.]( Interested in daily updates from Tamil Nadu? 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