SRINAGAR: A day after crucial talks on autonomy between a ministry of home affairs (MHA) subcommittee and Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) in Leh, representatives of the two bodies rejected on Friday a draft govt proposal and claimed “it represents a significant departure” from assurances made during previous meetings of the panel.LAB and KDA urged MHA to reconsider its draft and accept a memorandum of understanding (MoU) submitted by the two bodies in “its true spirit and entirety”.The next meeting has been scheduled for October 22 in Delhi, according to the Ladakhi representatives.“Among several major concerns, the (MHA) draft fails to address the demand for a legislative assembly and constitutional safeguards under Article 371, including a provision tailored to Ladakh’s unique circumstances. Instead, it proposes a NEFA-type arrangement that falls far short of the proposed Union Territory with a legislature, which was the minimum guarantee agreed upon in the meeting of May 22, 2026,” LAB and KDA said in a joint statement on Friday.
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NEFA is the acronym for the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency.LAB and KDA — the two major political bodies in the Union territory of Ladakh — will submit a detailed response to the MHA on Oct 18, elaborating on their objections and reiterating their positions.LAB and KDA asserted that their draft MoU “reflects genuine aspirations and demands consistently advocated since 2021”. “The people of Ladakh deserve a meaningful constitutional framework that honours prior commitments and safeguards their political, cultural and democratic aspirations, rather than an arrangement that dilutes them,” the statement said.The last such meeting on autonomy with the Centre was held on Sept 9 in New Delhi. LAB and KDA representatives attended it. Ladakh chief secretary Ashish Kundra had then spoken of “a sui generis model under Article 371 which does not exist anywhere in the country”.Ladakhi representatives have been in talks with the Centre since 2023 but the process stalled briefly after four people were killed and over 80 injured in alleged police firing on protesters demanding statehood in Leh in Sept last year.