Center backtracking at draft agreed May 22: Sonam Wangchuk

Sonam Wangchuk. File. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

Members of Ladakh’s civil society on Monday (Jun 1, 2026) said the Center was backtracking on its promise made during a May 22 meeting to “give supreme powers to elected representatives over bureaucracy in the Union Territory”. They further claimed that the proposal shared recently by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has been “watered down”.

“We appeal to the Center not to allow the atmosphere of positivity to deteriorate. There is room to suspect that the Center has backtracked on its agreed position to give supreme powers to elected representatives over bureaucracy in the region,” said climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who attended the sub-committee meeting in Delhi on May 22.

Mr. Wangchuk was joined by leaders of the Ladakh Buddhist Association, including its president Tsering Dorjey Lakrook, and leaders of the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA). Both of these bodies, which have engaged New Delhi in the talks, are umbrella organizations of local social, political and religious groups operating in Ladakh.

“The meeting of the sub-committee with the Center on May 22 was historic. Everyone welcomed it. Everyone expressed happiness. It proposed a customized democratic set-up for Ladakh. It was agreed that the elected representatives of the Legislative Assembly would have executive, financial and legal powers. But it was agreed that the elected representatives would have supreme authority over the bureaucracy, including what the Chief Secretary of Lad, including the Chief Secretary, had agreed to,” Mr Wangchuk said.

On this occasion, Mr. Wangchuk published the record of the meeting with the Ministry. “A few days ago, Mr. Tsering was shown the draft to sign. However, it was not the same as discussed on May 22 in New Delhi. In fact, Mr. Tsering was denied permission to take a photo of the draft. It is strange that no official means such as email, letter, etc. were used to deliver the final draft to us. These things sow the seeds of suspicion,” Mr. Wangchuk said.

The climate activist also played a video statement of government-identified leaders from Ladakh who attended the May 22 meeting, including BJP leader and former Ladakh-Leh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC-Leh) executive member Tashi Gyalson and Thupstan Chhewang, a former MP.

“Everyone expressed happiness at the outcome of the May 22 meeting. It is clear that they welcomed the decision to have absolute powers with the elected representatives over the bureaucracy in Ladakh,” Mr Wangchuk said.

Meanwhile, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra issued a fresh statement on the talks. “The May 22 talks were held in an open atmosphere. It was a breakthrough moment after years of dialogue on local aspirations. Under Article 371, a tailored solution was considered under the Constitution to ensure demands like protection of land, jobs and culture instead of those of statehood and the Sixth Plan. The fact remains that jobs have already been reserved for locals through a unique reservation policy,” Mr Kundra said.

Published – 01 Jun 2026 22:19 IST