ladakh, Mar 26
As his ‘fast unto death’ protest crossed the 20th day on Monday, noted climate activist Sonam Wangchuk issued a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, reminding them to follow the ideals of Lord Ram and a Hindu Vaishnav respectively and stand by their promises made to the people of Ladakh.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Wangchuk, who is a Ladakh-based engineer and educator said, “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 3 lakh…” “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 continued, “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 security 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.” The message came as Wangchuk continued to press for his demand for constitutional safeguards for the Union Territory of Ladakh, and the protection of its ecologically fragile ecosystem from industrial and mining lobbies. Wangchuk’s protest had kicked off on March 6 from Leh, where he addressed a gathering of hundreds of people at 3,500 metres above sea level. It was here that he announced that his protest would take place in stages of 21 days each.
The protest comes after the Ladakhi leadership entered into talks with the Centre to discuss the demands for Ladakh’s statehood, the inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region.
