As his ‘fast unto death’ protest entered its 20th day on Monday, prominent climate activist Sonam Wangchuk wrote a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, urging them to follow the ideals of Lord Ram and a Hindu Vaishnav respectively, and honour their commitments to the people of Ladakh.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Wangchuk, an engineer and educator from Ladakh, stated, “Today, about 2500 people joined me in the protest [against Ladakh’s climate crisis]. And in these 20 days, in Leh and Kargil, about 60,000 people sat in the protest, even when the population here is 300,000…”
“I would like to send two messages – one to Prime Minister Modi and the second to Home Minister Amit Shah. I saw in an interview where Amit Shah said that he wasn’t a Jain, he was a Hindu Vaishnav. There could be different definitions of a Hindu Vaishnav, but what I liked the most is this: ‘One who is a Vaishnav, knows the pain of others, does good to others, without letting pride enter his mind,’” Wangchuk said.
He added, “Secondly, Modi ji who is a devotee of Ram, built the Ram temple, but what are the values of Lord Ram? In Ramcharitmanas, Raghukul reet sada chali aaye, praan jaaye par vachan naa jaaye. Lord Ram was in exile for 14 years, just because he did not want to break his promise. I request Modi ji to follow these ideals and fulfil what he had promised to the people of Ladakh based on which he won the past two elections securing a majority. I request him to fulfil those promises and prove himself to be a true devotee of Ram, otherwise no one will believe these political leaders, their promises. I hope Amit Shah ji and Modi ji do not break away from their ideals.”
Wangchuk’s demand for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh and the protection of its delicate ecosystem from industrial and mining interests persisted as he continued his protest. The protest, which began on March 6 in Leh, saw Wangchuk addressing a large gathering at an altitude of 3,500 metres. During this gathering, he announced that the protest would proceed in stages, with each stage lasting 21 days.
This protest follows discussions between Ladakh’s leadership and the Centre regarding Ladakh’s statehood, inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and the establishment of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region.
