Centre rejects Sixth Schedule, statehood for Ladakh, offers council

JAMMU: The Centre has made it clear that Ladakh will not be granted Sixth Schedule status or statehood, two key demands of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the region’s two major political organisations said after talks in New Delhi last week.

The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution allows special administrative arrangements for tribal areas to safeguard autonomy, culture and land. Speaking publicly for the first time after the Feb 4 talks with a Union home ministry (MHA) high-powered committee, Ladakh leaders said the Centre had instead offered a “territorial council” model.

Under this proposal, chief executive councillor of Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) will be designated as CM and the deputy chief executive councillor as deputy CM.

“We call it a farce. LAB and KDA rejected it (the offer), except for one KDA member, Kunzes Dolma,” KDA co-chairman Asgar Ali Karbali said at a gathering in Kargil on Wednesday.

According to Karbali, Dolma had earlier supported KDA’s agenda and was nominated as a member for the talks. “She told the high-powered committee that a conspiracy was hatched to remove her and that she is satisfied with the Union Territory status for Ladakh. We will not tolerate anyone, whether Dolma or anyone else, who plays with Ladakhi identity,” Karbali said.

As Karbali spoke, many in the Kargil gathering raised slogans against Dolma and chanted support for Sonam Wangchuk, LAB member and climate activist jailed over violence in Sept 2025 during statehood protests in Leh.

After the talks negotiations with the MHA committee headed by junior Union home minister Home Nityanand Rai, Karbali and Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) president Tsering Dorje Lakrook had described the talks as inconclusive.

“When we reiterated Sixth Schedule status and statehood, they (MHA officials) argued that the Sixth Schedule has become ‘defunct’ and largely powerless. We disagreed. Supreme Court has repeatedly held Sixth Schedule as a law in itself and a strong constitutional safeguard. If it is powerful in the Northeastern states, why is it suddenly being called weak for Ladakh?” Karbali said.

On statehood, Karbali said the MHA’s main objection was that Ladakh lacks sufficient financial resources. “When we asked that our legal experts be allowed to explain this, we were told they could not be called into the meeting. There is no Indian state that has every resource within its own territory,” Karbali argued.

He reiterated the LAB and the KDA remain united in pressing for Sixth Schedule status and statehood as their core demands.
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