Renowned climate activist and educationalist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday expressed disappointment over the alleged lack of response from the Union government to his ongoing ‘Climate fast’, now in its 20th day, to highlight the demands of Ladakh. Taking to social media, Wangchuk shared updates on his health and the public response to his fast. He expressed that he was feeling tired and experiencing body aches after addressing gatherings to amplify Ladakh’s demands, also surviving only on water and salt during the hunger fast.
Wangchuk expressed gratitude towards ordinary citizens for their support, stating, “I have not lost faith in this Nation and its leaders.”
“Thank you all the ordinary powerless citizens who have become such a support for Ladakh who have become the media and taken our words far and wide to every citizen in the country. I am sure it will reach our Prime Minister and the home minister and the Honorable president and I am sure I still have faith, they will soon realise and do justice and stand respectable themselves,” he remarked as according to him 3,000 continued the hunger fast with him to press the union territory’s demands.
What Are Ladakhi Demands Highlighted Under ‘Climate Fast’?
Wangchuk is advocating for Ladakh’s inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, along with statehood. He also seeks separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts, exclusive land and job rights, and the establishment of a public service commission. Concerns were raised over the vulnerability of Ladakh’s ecosystem to industrial exploitation under its current Union Territory status.
The Constitution’s Sixth Schedule guarantees protections for land and a nominal autonomy for the country’s tribal areas. In 2019, as part of its abolition of Jammu and Kashmir’s (J&K) special constitutional status, New Delhi granted Union Territory (UT) status to Ladakh after bifurcating it from the erstwhile state.
While Jammu and Kashmir is likely to get statehood after assembly elections this year, Wangchuk had expressed concerns that Ladakh would be left under the rule of a bureaucracy under New Delhi’s supervision, the Hindustan Times reported.
On the first day of ‘Ideas Of India Summit 3.0’, the third edition of ABP Network’s flagship event, Sonam Wangchuk talked about the dangers of mining in the mountains and said, “It’s the lifestyle in the big cities where all the emissions pollution happens and not only that it’s what we think is our need or Desire that makes all the mining and all the extraction happen in the mountains which are so fragile that very soon will lose all the Glacier which will not only make life difficult in the mountains but very soon you all in the big cities also because two billion peoplePeople directly or indirectly on the glaciers of the Himalayas and Hindu Kush which is like 1/4th of the population so these water sources should be treated as sacred. If people living their lives if they live simpler lives, there will be less need for extraction and exploitation of these. So Please live simply in your big cities so that we in the mountains simply live.” More On It: Ideas Of India 3.0 — ‘Live Simpler Lives So That…’: Sonam Wangchuk Urges City Populace
Govt’s Meetings To Address Ladakh’s Demands
The Centre has constituted a high-powered committee, led by Minister of State (Home Affairs) Nityanand Rai, to address Ladakh’s demands. According to a report by The Hindu, the Union Government agreed to examine the implementation of the Sixth Schedule in Ladakh’s context, following discussions between civil society leaders and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials. Talks have focused on granting Ladakh statehood and including it under the Sixth Schedule, providing constitutional safeguards and job reservations.
Meetings between Ladakhi representatives and MHA officials were said to have yielded positive signs, with assurances given regarding job creation and constitutional safeguards, the report mentioned.
The Sixth Schedule, as outlined in Article 244 of the Constitution, serves to protect tribal populations by enabling the formation of autonomous development councils with legislative powers over various domains such as land, public health, and agriculture. Presently, there are 10 autonomous councils established in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.
On February 24, representatives from the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), advocating for Ladakh’s Buddhist and Shia Muslim-dominated regions respectively, engaged in their third meeting with the MHA officials. During these discussions, the LAB and KDA jointly pressed for Ladakh’s statehood, its incorporation into the Sixth Schedule to confer tribal status, job reservations for local residents, and the allocation of parliamentary seats for Leh and Kargil, according to The Hindu.
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) parliamentarian Thupstan Chhewang, also serving as the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) chief, spearheaded these dialogues aimed at securing constitutional safeguards for the region.
The MHA, in conjunction with civil society groups, has convened two prior rounds of discussions on December 4, 2023, and February 19, respectively, as per the report.
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