More than 100 volunteers led by renowned innovator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk started on a foot march from here to the national capital on Sunday to urge the Centre to resume the stalled dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh on their four-point agenda.
The ‘Delhi Chalo Padyatra’, organised by the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), which have been jointly spearheading an agitation over the past four years, supports statehood, extension of the Constitution’s Sixth Schedule, early recruitment process along with a Public Service Commission for Ladakh, and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.
Also read: Why are Ladakh’s residents on a hunger strike? | Explained
Talks between Ladakh’s representatives and the Central government ended in March without any concrete outcome.
Amid chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai’“ and “We want Sixth Schedule”, LAB chairperson Thupstan Chhewang flagged off the march from the NDS Memorial Park here, with Mr. Wangchuk expressing hope that the government would greet them with good news upon their reaching Delhi on Gandhi Jayanti, marking the birth anniversary of Father of the Nation on October 2.
“It is a matter of satisfaction that people from all sections of the society, including elders, women and youngsters, have joined this march in support of our demands…Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, and Union Territory with a Legislature is our democratic right as we want development and management of the region in accordance with our wishes and aspirations,” Mr. Wangchuk, who had earlier in March this year held a 21-day-long hunger strike in support of the demands, said.
He said this was a people’s movement and the government should fulfil the demands of Ladakhis without a second thought.
“We are sharing borders with Pakistan and China, who may be boasting about their technology, but I want to tell my country that Indians should be proud of the people of Ladakh, who are ready to sacrifice their lives for the nation,” Mr. Wangchuk said.
Expressing confidence that more people would join the march en route to Delhi via Himachal Pradesh, he said people were enthusiastic as was evident when even a 90-year-old Ladakhi citizen, who lives in Switzerland, was ready to join them in Delhi.
“This is another phase of our struggle. The KDA is not joining this march at the initial stage but will definitely give a positive response as the march moves to Delhi,” LAB chief Mr. Chhewang said.
Tsering Dorjey, an elderly participant, said that although his health would not allow him to cover the full distance of about 1,000 km by foot, “I will try to be part of the march as long as I can.”
“By this march, we want to convey a message that we are very serious with regard to our four demands,” Mr. Dorjey said.
