KARGIL, AUGUST 28, 2021: Amidst protest shutdown in whole Ladakh, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai convened a meeting with representatives of Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), and Leh Apex Body (LAB) here at Zen Hotel in Leh today.

After the meeting, KDA Co-Chairman Haji Asgar Karbalai briefed the media about the meeting. Quoting the MoS, Karbalai said that he is a son of a farmer who is expressing the words that he has in his heart and assured that he will frame the proposed committee as soon as possible and will deliberate and discuss the issues of Ladakh.

Secondly, the MoS has assured that for recruitment a policy will be framed soon will start the recruitment process. In addition, he also assured that the four key agendas of the KDA and LAB will be thoroughly discussed once the committee is framed.

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Karbalai said that after the call for boycott and shutdown, Home Minister Amit Shah had called Thupstan Chewang and said that the recent move to call separate actors for the meeting was a result of confusion. The Centre government had no such intention to ignore KDA and LAB. Accordingly, he communicated to the MoS, KDA, and Apex Body to convene the meeting that took place here today.

On asking that the local BJP unit has still not agreed on the agendas on which the KDA and Apex body have reached on consensus, Karbalai said that Home Minister Amit Shah and MoS for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai both are from BJP who have assured that the KDA and Apex body will represent Ladakh in all future meetings and deliberations. Still, if one or two actors don’t support this cause, it would not be a matter of concern. Because Home Minister has accepted the KDA and Apex body as the real representation of Ladakh. He further said that these two bodies of Ladakh have the support of all factions, stakeholders, and communities in Ladakh.

Apex Body Chairman and former MP Thupstan Chewang said that the visit of the Minister of State to Ladakh was communicated to them neither by the local administration nor by the Centre Government. “However, we came to know that the MoS is conducting a meeting with separate bodies outside the ambit of KDA and LAB. Thus, we gave a shutdown call for whole Ladakh”.

“The home minister himself has categorically assured that he will frame the committee soon and will discuss the issues of Ladakh. Earlier in a meeting at Dragon Hotel between KDA and Apex Body we have agreed on four agendas that include demand for full statehood for Ladakh, a constitutional safeguard for Ladakh, two separate Parliamentary constituencies, and haste commencement of recruitment process in Ladakh must be added by the issuance of Permanent Residence Certificate (PRC).

Pertinent to mention that KDA in a joint emergency meeting of different stakeholders in Kargil appealed for a complete shutdown on Saturday against the Centre government’s call to separate stakeholders for a meeting. The KDA also appealed to all stakeholders and individuals to boycott the meeting with MoS in Leh.

Following the shutdown call by KDA in Kargil and Apex Body in Leh, the MoS Niti Anand Rai called the Apex Body and KDA for a meeting today at Leh.