Sonam Wangchuk’s plea to PM Modi: Keep promises made to Ladakh!

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is leading a hunger strike here to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, on Tuesday made a fresh appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fulfil promises made to the people. In video message, a frail-looking Wangchuk, whose ‘climate fast' entered the 21st day, called on the people of Ladakh to use their franchise very carefully this time in the interest of the nation.

A renowned education reformist, Wangchuk has been on ‘climate fast' in sub-zero temperatures since March 6, a day after talks between joint representatives of Leh-based Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which are jointly spearheading the agitation to demand statehood for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, and the central government hit a deadlock. The Sixth Schedule contains provisions related to the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through autonomous district councils.

Reminding the PM of the promises made by the BJP in its election manifestoes, Wangchuk said Modi is a devotee of Lord Ram and should follow his teaching of ‘pran jaye par vachan na jaye' (one may lose their life, but must not break their promise). "We do not think of Modi and Shah as just politicians, we would rather like to think of them as statesmen and for that they will have to show some character and some farsightedness," the climate activist said.

Akhilesh Yadav extends support to Sonam

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav extended support to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a hunger strike in Leh in support of his demand for statehood for Ladakh. Yadav said, how will BJP understand the importance of those fasting with the help of ‘water and salt' as its eyes have dried up and it does not even know how to repay ‘Namak ka karj'. In a post on X, he said, "The people of the country are with Sonam Wangchuk ji in every way in his struggle to protect Ladakh and the country's borders. We give our ‘full support' to him to make his movement successful."

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