Ladakh Activist Sonam Wangchuk Ends 21-Day Fast: Why Was He Protesting?
ladakh activist sonam wangchuk ends 21-day fast: why was he protesting?
Leh: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been surviving on water and salt, on Tuesday ended his 21-day hunger strike over the statehood of Ladakh. The engineer-turned-reformer earlier had made an appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him to fulfil the promises made to the people.
Earlier this month, in a post on X, Wangchuk said that his fight was not just for Ladakh but also aimed to remove the ‘trust deficit’ in India. “Ladakh was promised #6thSchedule Safeguards twice in election manifestos but now the government backtracked after winning 2 elections. Through this struggle, we want to set a good precedence for all times to come. Please support us from your cities,” Wangchuk posted.
Why Was Sonam Wangchuk Protesting?
Sonam Wangchuk has been demanding statehood and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh. The Sixth Schedule, which comes under Article 244 of the Indian Constitution, allows the establishment of autonomous administrative regions known as Autonomous District Councils (ADCs). This provision ensures the protection of land and grants autonomy to tribal areas.
Earlier this month, Wangchuk spoke about two appeals in his address before starting the protest. First, a call to everyone to adopt simpler lifestyles, and second, a direct plea to the government to keep its commitment to include Ladakh into the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and grant statehood to the region.
The activist also noted environmental worries regarding the Himalayas, mentioning that industries have been exploiting the mountains through dam construction and mining activities.
Following the Supreme Court’s order to reinstate Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood, Wangchuk and the residents of Ladakh have been demanding a similar move for the Himalayan region. This action would provide increased political autonomy and decision-making authority to Ladakh.
Why 21 Days Of Hunger Strike?
The protest began on March 6 when Wangchuk declared that he would keep a fast until death in stages of 21 days. He chose the duration of ’21 Days’ due to Mahatma Gandhi, who during the independence movement, held the longest fast kept by him. “I want to follow the same peaceful path Mahatma Gandhi followed where we inflict pain onto ourselves and don’t inflict pain on anyone else. We inflict pain on ourselves so that our government and policymakers notice our pain and act in time,” Wangchuk said earlier this month.