Key outcome missing from draft minutes of meeting with Centre: Wangchuk

Leh, Jun 1 (PTI) Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday alleged that crucial points relating to the primacy of elected representatives over the bureaucracy were omitted from the draft minutes of a recent meeting between the Ladakh alliance group and the Centre.

He said such developments risked undermining the atmosphere of trust that had emerged during the talks and appealed to the government to ensure that the official minutes accurately reflect the agreements reached during the meeting.

Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra, however, said the draft record was only intended to facilitate discussion. He said if anything had been left out, the groups could raise it with him and it would be conveyed to the government.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) convened a meeting of the sub-committee for political dialogue with representatives of agitating Ladakh groups on May 22.

The Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) have been jointly engaged in dialogue with the Centre since 2021 over their key demands, including statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

Speaking to reporters here, Wangchuk claimed that the discussions during the meeting centred on demands for greater democratic empowerment of Ladakh, including the establishment of a legislative assembly with legislative, executive and financial powers.

"Our perspective is that the entire Ladakh region should have a legislative assembly with powers relating to legislation, administration and financial decision-making," he said.

There was also an understanding that the bureaucracy, including the chief secretary, would function under the authority of elected representatives, he added.

The activist further said, "The draft minutes of that meeting were shown to us by the government with the suggestion that we review them and indicate if anything needed to be added or deleted." He claimed that while the draft minutes prepared by the government contained references to legislative and executive powers, they failed to record one of the key outcomes of the meeting — the primacy of elected representatives over the administrative machinery.

He said representatives of the Ladakh groups pointed out the omission and sought revisions, following which the draft was taken back. However, when a revised version was later presented for signatures, the disputed provision was still absent, he alleged.

According to Wangchuk, requests for a copy of the revised draft before signing were not immediately accommodated and participants were not allowed to photograph the document.

"It created an impression that the minutes might not accurately reflect what had transpired during the meeting," he said, adding that such developments risked undermining the atmosphere of trust that had emerged during the talks.

Wangchuk said that several participants invited by the government, including BJP leader and Kargil Hill Council Chairman Thupstan Chhewang, had made statements after the meeting indicating that elected representatives would exercise effective control over governance and the bureaucracy.

Those remarks reflected the understanding reached during the discussions, he said.

To preserve what they believe to be an accurate account of the proceedings, representatives of the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance prepared an independent "record of meeting" based on complete recordings of the discussions, the activist said.

"We hope the minutes are issued exactly as the discussions took place and that the process moves forward in a constructive spirit," he said.

Wangchuk said the Ladakh groups would be compelled to register their protest and explore all democratic and legal options available to them if the final record does not accurately reflect the outcome of the talks.

At a separate press conference, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra termed the meeting a breakthrough moment and said the Centre has asked the Ladakh representatives to prepare and submit a document outlining their proposed framework along the lines of the discussions held.

He also sought to dispel confusion over reports relating to the meeting, saying that official minutes had not yet been issued and that a draft record shared among stakeholders was only intended to facilitate discussion.

Describing himself as a link between the people of Ladakh and the Centre, Kundra said, "If there is anything left out, I am here for them to raise it with me. People should come forward and speak openly. We will certainly convey their views to the Government of India." PTI