MHA announces Sub-Committee meeting on May 22
LAB calls for HPC meet for meaningful dialogue
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 26: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is visiting the Union Territory of Ladakh on a two-day tour from April 30 during which he will pay his respect to the sacred relics of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima on May 1.
Ahead of his visit to Ladakh, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) also announced meeting of the Sub Committee on May 22 for talks with Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). The last meeting was held on February 4 in New Delhi and the next meeting will be held after a gap of about three and half months.
Shah will arrive in Leh on April 30 and pay his respect to the sacred relics of Lord Buddha on May 1.
He is also expected to review development works in the Union Territory of Ladakh and interact with prominent citizens. However, a detailed schedule of his visit is yet to be announced by the administration.
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An announcement of Shah’s visit to Ladakh was made by Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena this morning.
“It gives me great pleasure in sharing that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be arriving in Leh on April 30 for a two-day visit. On May 1, he will pay his respects to the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha on the occasion of Buddha Purnima and share his thoughts on the spiritual significance of the sacred exposition being held in Ladakh from May 1-14,” LG Ladakh said in a post on X.
He added that Shah’s visit underscores the commitment of the Government of India for the development of Ladakh.
Within hour of the announcement of Shah’s visit, LG Ladakh also said that the MHA has decided to convene a meeting of the Sub-Committee for political dialogue with representatives of agitating Ladakh groups on May 22
“I am pleased to announce that the Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt of India, has taken a decision to convene a meeting of the sub-committee for political dialogue on 22nd May. This will carry forward the process of constructive democratic dialogue with key stakeholders of Ladakh and pave the way for an enduring solution to meet the aspirations of the people of Ladakh,” the Lt Governor said in another post on X.
Soon after two major announcements by the Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) held a meeting in Leh to discuss the developments.
LAB co-chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk told the Excelsior that they have demanded convening of High Powered Committee (HPC) meeting ahead of Shah’s visit for meaningful dialogue.
“Shah had once said in New Delhi that he may chair the HPC sometime. We have just reminded him,” he said.
On announcement of Sub-Committee meeting, Lakruk said they haven’t received any invitation from the MHA and have seen only post of the LG Ladakh.
The HPC is headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai and has wider participation from LAB, KDA, MHA, other Ladakh representatives and UT administration. The Sub-Committee meeting, however, is chaired by the MHA officials and has less members from LAB and KDA. It was the HPC meeting which was held in New Delhi on February 4 but no breakthrough was made on the demands.
Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which have been jointly engaged in dialogue with the Centre since 2021 are demanding Statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh.
Officials, however, described the visit of Amit Shah to the UT of Ladakh as very significant expressing confidence that it will give further boost to development in Ladakh though primary objective of the tour remains religious and paying respects to sacred relics of Lord Buddha.
Meanwhile, the LAB has also called for direct, decision-level talks with Shah during his visit next week.
“LAB discussed in detail the upcoming visit of Home Minister to Ladakh (on April 30) alongside the announcement of a sub-committee meeting for May 22…the issue of Ladakh has been dragging on for the past five to six years and needs to be resolved,” climate activist Sonam Wangchuk told reporters in Leh.
Wangchuk, who was flanked by co-chairman of the LAB Chering Dorjay Lakruk and other prominent members of the grouping, said the visit is seen as a step towards “meaningful and constructive dialogue”.
“It is well understood that discussions at the sub-committee level-meaning at the level of Secretaries-do not involve decision-making authorities. Therefore, there is a concern that even if this meeting takes place on May 22, four months after the last one in February, and still no decision is reached, another four months may pass, and the entire year could go by without any resolution.
“That is why all our members have suggested that since the Home Minister is himself visiting Ladakh, he should chair a meeting with the LAB and the KDA. Holding such a meeting in Ladakh would be both possible and meaningful. In fact, some of our members who attended earlier meetings in Delhi have also shared that during their interactions with him, the Home Minister had assured Ladakh’s leadership that he would personally chair such meetings and even consider holding them in Ladakh,” he said.
“Our clear position is that a sub-committee meeting is completely meaningless. If no decisions can be taken and there is nothing new left to discuss, then what is the point? Our demands are already very clear-the four-point agenda. At the very least, the government should clarify what it is willing to offer,” Lakruk, the LAB co-chairman said.
For example, he said if the government does not intend to grant statehood or include Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, it should say so clearly.
“So far, it has not explicitly stated that it will not provide these. If not these, then what is the alternative? The Government should at least spell that out,” he said.
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