Govt assures Ladakh’s interest will be looked after, local groups withdraw call to boycott LAHDC polls

The people from Ladakh called off their protests on Sunday against the local body elections after the Centre assured them that all the issues related to language, demography, ethnicity and jobs from the region will be taken care of.

The Centre has said it is open to include Ladakh in Sixth Schedule of Constitution, which will give the autonomous districts and council a certain degree of autonomy in framing laws to protect the interests of indigenous people.

“The government of India is open to discuss protection available under Sixth Schedule of Constitution of India while looking into issues related to people from Ladakh,” Union minister Kiren Rijiju said.

“After 15 days of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council, we will begin the process to consider their demand,” he added.

A delegation led by MoS G Kishan Reddy will visit Ladakh to discuss the matter further. After the government’s assurance, the leaders from the region have agreed to withdraw their protests against the upcoming Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) elections.

“The delegation has agreed to withdraw its call for the boycott of the ensuing election. The delegation was assured by home minister that government of India is committed to safeguard the interest of the people of Ladakh,” Rijiju said.

The LAHDC elections are set to take place on October 16. Prominent leaders and monks from the region were boycotting the polls demanding constitutional safeguards for indigenous inhabitants by including the region in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

The leaders had argued that without any Constitutional safeguard, the identity of the Ladakh region will be severely under threat from outsiders.

HT