CPI(M) supports Ladakhi activists on hunger strike, demands govt action

Srinagar, Oct 07: Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat and MP Dr John Britas on Monday visited the site of an indefinite hunger strike in New Delhi initiated by Ladakhi activist Sonum Wangchuk and several others to express solidarity with their demands for sixth schedule status.
The hunger strike comes after approximately 150 Ladakhi activists undertook a peaceful padyatra to the national capital, where they were met with police resistance and subsequently arrested. The activists are currently confined to Ladakh Bhavan, where they began their hunger strike to protest what they describe as an authoritarian response from the Modi government.
Karat criticised the government’s actions, saying, “It is a reflection of the authoritarian nature of the Modi government that peaceful activists were not allowed to express their grievances in the capital.” She said the activists’ demands for sixth schedule status aim to safeguard the land and resources of Ladakh from corporate exploitation and other private projects. “Such measures were promised by the BJP in their 2019 electoral manifesto,” she added.
“Our support for the sixth schedule status is unwavering. The central government must act swiftly,” Karat urged, calling for concerned ministers to engage directly with Sonum Wangchuk and his team to address their issues.
Wangchuk and his fellow activists assert that the lack of autonomy has led to concerns over the impact of corporate mining and other projects on the land and livelihoods of the tribal population in Ladakh. They stress the importance of obtaining the necessary consent from local communities before any such initiatives are undertaken.