New Delhi, Mar 14: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has thrown her weight behind the clamour for full statehood in Ladakh. On Wednesday, she urged the government to heed the voices of the Ladakhi people, calling for an end to what she described as “stubbornness” in addressing their demands.
Sharing a video on a social media site X, Priyanka said BJP had promised the people of Ladakh that they will be given full statehood but did not fulfill it. “On the one hand, the increasing Chinese occupation and on the other hand, the silence, broken promises and betrayal of the BJP government – the trust of the people of Ladakh is breaking,” she said.
Amidst repeated protests, Ladakh’s educationist and environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk along with dozens of people has been fasting for 8 days in minus 15-degree temperature.
The Congress leader said the people of Ladakh are demanding full statehood and security under the 6th Schedule, which is the duty of the government to fulfill. “The government should leave its dogmatism and listen to the voice of the people of Ladakh,” she said.
Sonam Wangchuk wrote on ‘X, “Temperature -3 C after yesterday’s -10 C. Along with me 90 people sleept in the open in hunger, to remind leaders in Delhi of their promises made to Ladakh for the protection of its fragile environment and tribal cultures under the 6th Schedule. We urge you all to organise a one day fast or protest in your cities in solidarity with #Ladakh & the #Himalayas on Sunday the 17th of March. Please join Friends of Ladakh Friends of Nature.”
On March 07, Wangchuk, a prominent innovator from Ladakh, started a 21-day protest fast in Leh. The fast, he said, will progress in phases until the central government meets the demands of the region’s residents, which include statehood and the implementation of the sixth schedule in the area.
