Leh: Lieutenant Governor Brig (Dr) B D Mishra on Saturday met Thupstan Chhewang, the chairman of the Leh Apex Body, and President of Ladakh Buddhist Association at Raj Niwas here.
The two discussed the finer contours of the dialogue process which is soon expected to resume between the union government and the LAB and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, on their demands to include Ladakh in the sixth schedule of the constitution and granting of statehood to the union territory, besides other issues.
This was their second meeting in five days, and third in last two weeks.
The union government has recently ended months long logjam, and started fresh negotiations with the religious leaders of the Leh Apex Body (LAB), and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA).
The Centre is learnt to have written to the LAB as well as KDA, seeking the specifics of the provisions for the 6th Schedule that the two bodies want for Ladakh.
Both the organisations joined hands to press for their four-point agenda of demands which included statehood for UT, special status under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, two parliamentary seats for the UT and employment opportunities for local youth, leading to protests across Ladakh, and Jammu and New Delhi over the last couple of years.
A Raj Niwas statement refrained from associating Chhewang with the LAB of which he is a founding member or even the LBA, the strong Buddhist religious group of which he is the current president.
“Hon’ble Lt. Governor Brig (Dr) BD Mishra met Sh. Thupstan Chhewang at Raj Niwas today,” said a one-line tweet from Raj Niwas.
In the last week of March, the Lieutenant Governor had met union Home secretary Ajay Bhalla in New Delhi, following which the Union Home Ministry approached the representatives of Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance and have sought from them a fresh proposal on the ongoing demands and issues.
The leaders of both the bodies were scheduled to meet in Leh to decide on the future course of action, but the meeting could not be held.
“The meeting was scheduled on the weekend after the KDA leaders return from Jammu to Ladakh. But now, the meeting has been rescheduled for this week,” The Earth News learnt.
It may be mentioned that LG Mishra had met a 30-member delegation of LBA, the most powerful religious organisation in Leh, besides Sonam Wangchuk in March last week before flying out for New Delhi.
