Wangchuk stays put at Ladakh Bhawan, says awaiting word on meeting with top leadership

NEW DELHI: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday said he and his supporters will stay put at the Ladakh Bhawan until the authorities tell them when they will be able to meet the country's top leadership.

He said the protesters, who are demanding the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, are not asking for anything unusual and are here to remind the ruling BJP of its poll promise.

Wangchuk and his supporters began their indefinite fast at the Ladakh Bhawan on Sunday after they were not given time to meet the top leadership - president, prime minister, or home minister -- on October 4.

"We are going to sit here till we get a reply on when we will be able to meet our leaders. We walked for 30-32 days, we deserve to get a meeting at least," Wangchuk told PTI.

The people of Ladakh had welcomed the government's decision to make it a union territory because they were promised a legislature and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, the climate activist said.

"We are not asking for anything unusual, we are here to remind the BJP of the promise it made in its manifestos," he said.

The Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution includes provisions for the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram in northeast India. It establishes autonomous councils that have legislative, judicial, executive and financial powers to independently govern these areas.

Wangchuk said their demand was for democracy in Ladakh like the rest of the country and inclusion under the Sixth Schedule and statehood are a part of it.

Involving people in decision-making is vital to preserving the ecology of Ladakh, he said.

"I am not a politician but an environmentalist... When locals handle their resources, there will be some accountability because their future generations have to live in that place. Instead of that, you are handing it over to an LG, an official or company which has parachuted," he said.

Like the rest of the country, the people of Ladakh should also be able to elect their representatives, he added.

Wangchuk and around 150 Ladakhis marched to Delhi from Leh to press their demands and were detained at the capital's Singhu border on September 30. The 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra', which is being spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body (LAB), began from Leh a month ago.

The protesters were released by Delhi Police on the night of October 2. On Sunday, Wangchuk stepped out of the Ladakh Bhawan around 4 pm and announced that he was going to sit on a fast.

The Ramon Magsaysay awardee said the protesters spent the night in the open.

"It wasn't comfortable, we were almost on the road and there were mosquitoes. Now there's heat and these are Ladakhi people who are used to minus temperatures... There are old people as well but we will not move from here till our demand is met," Wangchuk said.

On Sunday, heavy security was deployed at the Ladakh Bhawan and entry was restricted. However, on Monday, the extra force was removed and Wangchuk and others were allowed to meet visitors at the gate.

Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat and MP John Brittas met Wangchuk.

"We are here to express our solidarity with this struggle of the people of Ladakh represented by Mr Sonam Wangchuk. It is a shame that an authoritarian government like the Modi government should consider the capital his private, personal capital," Karat said.

"It is the capital of India and every Indian citizen has the right to sit in the centre of the capital and raise their demands. What is wrong with the peaceful struggle of the people of Ladakh represented by Mr Sonam Wangchuk? We strongly condemn it and support their demand," she said.

Members of the CPI-M's students organisation Students' Federation of India (SFI), and its youth wing Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) also met Wangchuk.

Besides the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, the protesters are demanding statehood, a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.