Sonam Wangchuk is fighting for the people of Ladakh
Sonam Wangchuk has been arrested. why? because he is fighting for Ladakh, from past few years in Ladakh, protests are happening. people who helped our army soldiers after scrapping Article 370, those people who had said, “This is their first independence day.” Those people are angry at India, but why? In today’s blog, we will get to know what Ladakh wants from India. those mountains that look nice on Instagram but in reality, are crying from inside are broken, are begging for help.
What is Happening?
First, let’s see what’s happening. On January 21, 2023, Sonam sir made an announcement on his YouTube channel. that start from our republic day, he will go on a hunger strike for 5 days. reason is that people is that people of Ladakh are being ignored by the country. This hunger strike was not going to happen in the comfort of his home; instead, it was happening in Khardungla. This is the world’s highest motorable road, where the temperature drops between -15 and -40. this strike was going to start on 26th January. He asked for permission from the government, but the permission was denied. reason given was that the temperature in that area will be very low, and his like will be at risk. Sonam sir says that on 26th morning, a bus full of police officers came at their HIAL institute.
At the start of the day, Sonam sir wanted to visit a temple in support; many people were on hunger strike there too. But when Sonam Sir reached there, the police caught him and brought him back to HIAL Institute, where he was told not to come out of his institute. He was kept under house arrest. The right to protest is our fundamental right, but suicide is a crime. If the state knows that your life is at risk, then they will do anything in their power to prevent it. Protection was just an excuse; hiding the mistakes of union territories was the real reason. But Soman believes that this is not for his protection but to cover the failures of Ladakh UT. because from past 3 years, promises made to people of Ladakh UT are not being fulfilled.
What Ladakh Wants?
Let’s understand what the people of Ladakh want in 2019, after Article 370 was scrapped and Ladakh got its individual identity. The people of Ladakh had been asking for this for the past 70 years, which was fulfilled in 2019. Before Article 370 was scrapped, Ladakh was absent from our budget, from our attention, and from our policies. When Article 370 was scrapped, the people were celebrating in Leh. because they thought that now their voice will be heard, when Ladakh and Jammu Kashmir were one state. at that time, the government funds. were majorly used in Kashmir. Jammu and Ladakh used to get a very small piece of it. The main reason for this was that the government used to be Kashmiri, and from a security perspective, more funds were also needed in Kashmir. but for the people of Ladakh, this was very unfair.
Their demography is different: they speak different language, their culture is different. Their representation was not happening; only Kashmir was in focus.
Lack of jobs in Ladakh: Because before scrapping Article 370, many restrictions were there.
Landwise, Ladakh is bigger than J&K; 60% of Ladakh is its area, and this whole area is cut off for 5 to 6 months from the rest of India. Due to climate change, the problems here are getting severe, and no one has paid attention to them. That’s why, after the scrapping of Article 370, the people of Ladakh were very happy. because ultimately they just want 3 things, sustainable development, political representation and security, against China and climate change.
Why is Ladakh Angry?
Article 370 is scrapped now, and the people of Ladakh wanted this, right? Then why are they not happy now? Because Article 370 was the first barrier the real problem, the absent Ladakh problem just by scrapping article 370 was not completely solved. After scrapping Article 370, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was passed. which made Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh union territories. Union territories are directly under the central government. but there can be two types of union territories with Legislature and without legislature. Delhi is a union territory with a legislature, which means the central government also administers there, and elections are also conducted there. Due to this, the people of Delhi get extra powers to elect their leaders.
Similarly, Jammu and Kashmir was made a UT with a legislature. but Ladakh has no legislature, which means it is not run by its elected leaders. But for bureaucrats, there is only one solution to this, which is the sixth schedule.
What is this 6th Schedule?
This is a provision in India’s constitution that gives tribal areas the right to self-administrate. through which ADCs, meaning “autonomous district councils,” are made In these councils, Democratic elections are conducted, and members of this council can make suggestions to the governor. For the betterment of this area, what steps can be taken? this provision was majorly done for India’s north eastern region. because a lot of population there was tribal population.
Today there are two hill councils in Ladakh, one in Leh and the other in Kargil. But their powers are limited; they can only collect some local taxes. for example, local parking fees, and that’s it. 90% of the population in Ladakh is tribal. They know their economic and environmental problems; they want to take these problems to the government; they are demanding a simple thing. that the democratic rights which, they haven’t got from past 70 years. They must get it now. The most sad part is that this is known by every party. In fact, this point of the 6th schedule was part of the manifesto of the current government, and it has been 3 years since the removal of Article 370. but no action has been taken on this, and due to this, there is fear among the locals. That may be after the removal of Article 370, when private companies will come to Ladakh and, in the name of development, destroy the environment. If locals won’t be involved in making policies, then what’s the difference between now and the previous situation? Previously, they used to beg from Kashmir.
Now they have to beg from the central government. And it happens like this: Sonam sir says that more than 6,000 crores were allocated for Ladakh’s development fund, but they weren’t utilized. They were lapsed, because how to utilize it is in the hands of the bureaucracy and not in the hands of the locals. Twelve thousand jobs were promised, of which only 800 were given. Due to such facts, people can lose trust in the Indian government.
Why Sonam sir makes sense?
Sonam Sir shared on Twitter that now the Ladakh government wants to sign a bond with him. after which, for at least one month, Sonam sir can’t take part in any protest. The demand for the 6th schedule can’t be done, and if he doesn’t stop these peaceful protests, then he has to pay Rs. 1 lakh in cash. Sonam Wangchuk sir is a climate warrior who always works with a solution-oriented mindset. He doesn’t go against the government; he wants to shake hands with the government and do India’s development, education, and climate-related works.
Today, in this initiative, Ladakh’s Hindu, Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist Every community has supported him. which means this is not some religious movement; this is not a political movement either. This is a movement by the people of Ladakh to save Ladakh. The truth is that, in 2020, Sonam sir told us that we must boycott China. because, on one side, China profits from us. and invests that money in the PLA, which kills our soldiers. We agreed to him and supported him at the time. We will also see the outcome at the upcoming Diwali. but now that he is saying that the demands of the people of Ladakh are not being heard by the government, So why aren’t we taking him seriously?
First, the enemy was on the other side of the border; now, the enemy is not an individual; it is bureaucracy. It is our system and its delays, and like Sonam sir, we are all fed up with our politicians’ slowness. Today, we must support Sonam sir because Ladakh has been requesting UT status for the past 70 years, which was granted in 2019.Now, for the 6th schedule’s demand, for protection of melting glaciers, do they have to wait another 70 years? If the answer to this is yes, then between China and India, what’s the difference? China is a dictatorship. It takes its decisions without worrying about the environment or its people, and India is a democracy for its own sake, which is a democracy during elections and after getting the votes. for 5 years, becomes a dictator.
We started this year with the Joshi Math Crisis, and we saw what happens when the environment is ignored for years. then the result of that has to be suffered by us alone. It’s a matter to think about—aren’t these warning signs enough? The real truth is that if we worry about India’s borders, then we also have to think about the people living there. We have to listen to their demands and also fulfill them, or else there will be war between us and China, between us and Pakistan, and between us and Britishers. What’s the big difference?
🤔😭😫😫