Days ahead of the upcoming talks between the Centre and Ladakh’s civil society organisations, the rifts in the Apex Body, Leh (ABL) have widened in the wake of its decision to accept the resignation of its founding chairman Thupstan Chhewang, which had been pending for months.

Amid growing differences within the ABL, Chhewang had resigned as its chairman in July last year, citing health concerns. His resignation was earlier neither accepted nor rejected by the ABL leadership, which finally decided to accept it early this month.

The ABL and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) are the umbrella organisations of various civil society bodies in the Leh and Kargil regions, respectively. They are also part of the High Powered Committee (HPC), headed by Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, which has convened a meeting on May 22. The HPC has been examining various demands raised by the Ladakh representatives.

While the ABL leadership has accused Chhewang of toeing the BJP line, the cracks in the organisation is likely to give the BJP-led Centre the upper hand in the talks.

While Chhewang and ABL co-chairman Chering Lakruk had long been at loggerheads, the latest flashpoint between them is the civil society bodies’ opposition to the proposed “privatisation” of the Ladakh Power Development Department (LPDD).

Chhewang has castigated the ABL’s stance on the issue, claiming that it fell outside the latter’s mandate.

“He (Chhewang) was saying that LPDD is not our issue and we should not raise it but all others thought its is important to safeguard the interests of Ladakh,” Lakruk told The Indian Express. “Since his stand seems pro-government, all the members said that we should accept his resignation.”

Both the ABL and the KDA have been up in arms against any proposal by the Ladakh administration to “privatise” the power sector in the region. They have held that if the proposal to form a joint venture between the LPDD (49% share) and the Rural Electrification Corporation (51% share), is implemented, it will “worsen” the unemployment problem in the Union Territory, lead to increase in power tariff, and “compromise national and strategic security interests”. In a letter to Lt Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, they have called for scrapping of the proposal.

A former BJP MP from Ladakh, Chhewang has questioned his removal from the ABL, asking how he could be ousted when he was the founding chairman of the body.

He has also questioned the ABL’s functioning, saying that the talks between the Centre and the Ladakh representatives have hit a dead end. “Both sides have remained firm in their respective positions and are unwilling to compromise resulting in complete deadlock in the dialogue process,” he told a press conference in Leh a few days ago. “The people are left with two options – either to intensify the agitation for their demands or enter negotiations and accept whatever proposals the government may eventually be willing to offer.”

Chhewang said the ABL should restrict itself to speaking on the issues which were agreed upon. “We had agreed to speak only on the four-point agenda related to Ladakh’s constitutional and political demands,” he said, adding the issue of privatisation of electricity in Ladakh was not part of the organisation’s mandate. “After I expressed my concerns about it through a message, I was removed. I am the founding member of the Apex Body – how can I be removed without any proper consultation.”

Sources said Chhewang is also upset about the growing clout of the KDA and the representation given to Muslims in the ABL.

However, Lakruk says the agenda for talks was set by Chhewang himself. “He set the agenda himself. How can he today say that it is a hard stand,” Lakruk asked. “The (joint) platform of ABL and KDA was also formed by him.”

The infighting within the ABL is likely to cast a shadow on the May 22 meeting.

The civil society groups from Leh and Kargil have jointly demanded full statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion under the Sixth Schedule, arguing that the Union Territory’s over 90% Scheduled Tribe (ST) population requires constitutional safeguards over land, resources and cultural identity.

In September last year, four persons were killed and many injured in police firing in Leh as protests over demands for statehood and Sixth Schedule protections turned violent.

While Chhewang may be alone in his fight against the ABL leadership, a new outfit, Voice of Buddhist Ladakh (VBL), formed early this year amid allegation of it being a “BJP proxy”, could throw its weight behind him.

The VBL has claimed to represent Buddhist interests in negotiations with the Centre. The ABL has alleged that the VBL had been propped up by the administration to undercut the joint movement of the Leh and Kargil organisations.

These divisions within the Ladakhi leadership may weaken the bargaining power of its representatives in their dialogue with the Centre.