Former BJP MP for Ladakh accuses Wangchuk and others of misleading the people of the UT

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Thupstan Chhewang. File | Photo Credit: Special arrangement

Former Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Ladakh, Thupstan Chhewang, on Saturday said that the September 9 talks between Ladakhi civil society leaders, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and the Union Territory’s administration were “fruitful”, countering the perception conveyed by some members of the delegation, including prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk.

Mr. Chhewang — among the first Ladakh leaders to launch a movement in 2020, seeking constitutional safeguards for the region after Article 370 ceased to apply to the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir, of which Ladakh was a part — had attended the September 9 sub-committee meeting on the invitation of the MHA.

After the meeting, Ladakh Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra said that a sui generis model is being proposed for Ladakh, with a unique elected body under Article 371 of the Constitution that will have legislative, executive, and financial powers.

However, the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), the two civil society groups leading the talks, had described the meeting as a “disappointment” and a waste of time and money as it barely moved forward from the decisions reached on May 22.

Mr. Chhewang said that the meeting had discussed “elections to the existing district-level councils which should take place before the formation of the UT-level body.”

Expressing disappointment over the manner in which the outcome of the meeting was subsequently presented in the public domain by LAB and the KDA, Mr. Chhewang said that several positive developments and points of consensus discussed during the meeting were not brought before the people, while statements suggesting that the talks had failed to make progress were being circulated in the national and social media.

He said that although he had earlier stayed away from the LAB by his own choice, he later rejoined after being persuaded by Mr. Wangchuk and others. Over time, people with different ideologies and political agendas had also become associated with the movement, Mr. Chhewang said, while maintaining that his own position on Ladakh’s demands had remained consistent from the beginning.

He recalled that issues including recruitment and constitutional safeguards had been discussed extensively. According to the former BJP MP, after prolonged deliberations, a consensus emerged on several aspects, including the demand for safeguards under Article 371, which was discussed during the May 22 meeting. He said that while demands for statehood and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule had remained part of the broader political discourse, discussions eventually moved towards finding practical constitutional and administrative safeguards for Ladakh.

One of the options discussed was that hill councils should be established in all districts, followed by direct elections, Mr. Chhewang said. He also emphasised the tribal character of Ladakh and said that, given the presence of Scheduled Tribes, there should be adequate representation and provisions for nomination in the proposed system.

Mr. Chhewang said that Mr. Wangchuk and sections of the KDA continued to insist that the focus should remain on the UT-level body and that elections should not be held immediately. He further claimed that the delay in moving forward was not from the MHA side but from differences within the LAB and KDA over the sequencing and implementation of the proposed institutions.

He also criticised Mr. Wangchuk’s reported call for a renewed agitation, including an ultimatum linked to the fulfilment of Ladakh’s demands. The former BJP MP questioned the need for another agitation when, according to him, significant progress had been made through dialogue with the MHA.

Mr. Chhewang said that Ladakh had already witnessed the serious consequences of the September 24, 2025 incident where four people were killed during an agitation, and warned against any development that could lead to a repeat of such a situation.

If Mr. Wangchuk and the LAB still wanted to continue with an agitation, he said, they should consider holding it in Kargil, which, according to him, had greater interest in pursuing certain demands. It was Leh that had witnessed the struggles over the years, he said, while Kargil had benefited from the developments that followed the movement.

Responding to Mr. Chhewang’s statement, Sajjad Kargili, co-convenor of the KDA, said that the former MP is not part of the LAB. Both the civil society groups have conveyed their objection to his inclusion in the meetings with the MHA and the UT administration, he said.

“It is unfortunate that someone who was once among the prominent faces of Ladakh’s people’s movement has, over time, taken positions that appear to differ from the collective approach of the movement... He had also earlier resigned from the LAB. His subsequent political positioning, including his support for the BJP in Ladakh, has further contributed to differences in approach,” Mr. Kargili said.

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