Chhewang Calls Ladakh Meeting Fruitful, Blames Civil Society Rifts for Delays

Former BJP MP for Ladakh, Mr. Chhewang, has accused climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and others of misleading the people of the Union Territory, asserting that the September 9 meeting between Ladakh civil society, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the UT administration was "fruitful." His remarks come amid sharp disagreement over the outcome of the talks.

The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), two prominent civil society groupings, have described the same meeting as a "disappointment." The contrasting assessments underscore the deepening divide over how to interpret the engagement with the central government and the UT administration.

Mr. Chhewang rejected suggestions that the MHA is responsible for delays in addressing Ladakh's demands. He attributed the slow progress to differences within civil society rather than any lack of intent on the part of the ministry. The former MP's statement places the onus on internal divisions among the groups representing the region's interests.

The disagreement highlights the fractured landscape of Ladakh's civil society, with competing voices offering divergent accounts of the same meeting. While Mr. Chhewang insists the talks yielded positive outcomes, the LAB and KDA maintain that the engagement fell short of their expectations.