“Every citizen of Ladakh — in fact, even the animals, birds, flowers, plants, mountains, rivers, and glaciers — will remain grateful to you"
Wangchuk’s Fast Unto Death Enters 8th Day, Appeals to PM Modi for Special Gift on His 75th Birthday Latest News: Sonam Wangchuk, the climate activist and inspiration for the character Phunsukh Wangdu in 3 Idiots, has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his 75th birthday, to give Ladakh the “great gift” of inclusion under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, as over 95% of Ladakh’s population belongs to tribal communities.
The hunger strike entered its eighth day today. For the unversed, Wangchuk, along with 15 others, is on a fast unto death. He had announced that he would continue the fast for 35 days. “We will stay on an indefinite hunger strike for five weeks, or die — whichever happens first,” Wangchuk had declared at the beginning of the protest.
On the eighth day of the fast, 15 people along with Wangchuk and about 500 others joined in a one-day fast and prayer, Wangchuk said in a video appeal to PM Modi today.
“We all send you our best wishes today from the sacred mountains of Ladakh with white and pure Khataks (traditional ceremonial scarves),” Wangchuk said, adding, “Modi Ji, apart from our prayers, we have nothing else to offer you. But today, you can give us a great gift.”
Reminding PM Modi of his unfulfilled promise to the people of Ladakh, Wangchuk said, “You may recall that five years ago, during the parliamentary elections and the Hill Council elections, you made a promise to the people of Ladakh — that Ladakh, along with its sensitive environment and rich culture, would be safeguarded under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.”
“We have always hoped that you would grant us true democracy, just like every other citizen of the country,” he added.
As the Hill Council elections near once again, Wangchuk, in his appeal, said, “Now, with the upcoming Hill Council elections scheduled for this October, we hope that you will fulfill this promise before the elections take place.”
“Every citizen of Ladakh — in fact, even the animals, birds, flowers, plants, mountains, rivers, and glaciers — will remain grateful to you. Once again, we extend our heartfelt wishes to you, and Julley (the traditional Ladakhi greeting),” Wangchuk said in his appeal.
For the past five years, Sonam Wangchuk and the people of Ladakh have been organizing demonstrations year after year, ever since Ladakh was carved out as a Union Territory after the reorganization of the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Unlike Jammu and Kashmir, which is a Union Territory with legislative powers, Ladakh remains a UT without legislative powers.
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