Climate activist Greta Thunberg, centre, sits in front of the offices of Aspen Insurance in London, England, during a protest to support the Palestine Action protesters on hunger strike in prison.
| Photo Credit: AP

Srinagar:

As his hunger strike to press for statehood for Ladakh and the protection of the fragile Himalayan ecology entered its 21st day on Tuesday, noted climate activist and education reformer Sonam Wangchuk has urged the Union government to exhibit statesmanship and meet the people’s demands. 

In a video posted on X, a smiling Mr Wangchuk said he is surviving on water and salt and 350 people have joined him in the fast despite temperatures dropping to -10 degrees Celsius. 

Pointing to a frozen glass of water to highlight the conditions amid which the protest is being held outdoors, Mr Wangchuk said, “We are trying to remind and awaken the consciousness of our Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi and Home Minister Mr Amit Shah to safeguard the fragile ecosystem of the Himalayan mountains in Ladakh and the unique indigenous tribal cultures that thrive here.”

“We do not want to think of PM Modi and Amit Shah ji as just politicians, we would rather like to think of them as statesmen, but for that they will have to show some character and farsightedness,” he added.

Giving a few definitions of what a statesman is, the education reformer went on to urge people to cast their ballot “very carefully” in the upcoming elections “in the interest of the nation”. The Union Territory, which has one Lok Sabha seat, will vote on May 20.

Mr Wangchuk began his hunger strike on March 6, after talks between the Union government and representatives of Ladakh failed. 

Demands

The region, consisting of the Leh and Kargil districts, was carved out as a separate Union Territory after the bifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir and the scrapping of Article 370, which gave it special status, in August 2019. Within a year, Ladakhis felt a political vacuum in the Union Territory, which is run by a Lt Governor. 

Massive protests and hunger strikes began taking place earlier this year after leaders of Buddhist-dominated Leh and Muslim-dominated Kargil joined hands under the banners of the Apex Body of Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance to demand statehood and the safeguarding of rights of its majority tribal population under the sixth schedule of the Constitution

While the Centre constituted a high-level committee to look into the demands, a series of meetings with representatives of the protesters failed to find a resolution. On March 4, leaders from Ladakh met Home Minister Amit Shah and said he had refused to accept their demands. Mr Wangchuk began his fast in Leh two days later.

‘Struggle To Continue’

Kargil has also seen protests and a hunger strike, which began on Sunday, saw the participation of hundreds of people, including the Chief Executive Councillor and councillors of the Kargil Autonomous Hill Council.

“We are just asking for our rights. We will continue our united struggle for statehood and inclusion in the sixth schedule of the Constitution” said Sajjad Kargili, a prominent leader of the Kargil Democratic Alliance.