Climate activist Sonam Wangchuck has intensified his protest against the lack of response from the government to his long-standing demand for statehood and the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

As his indefinite fast at the Ladakh Bhavan entered the third day on Tuesday, Wangchuck, who is surviving on salt water, expressed frustration, stating that the people of Ladakh feel abandoned.

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Not much appears to have changed at the venue which continues to be under a ‘restricted’ entry zone for visitors. Surrounded by a handful of supporters, the environmentalist lashed out at those managing the daily affairs of the bhavan. “The place (Ladakh bhavan) is just being run in the same whimsical way in which Ladakh is run. It is run by one man, Lt Governor Brig. (Dr.) B.D. Mishra (Retd.). There is no people’s participation, so they run it on their whims and fancies. It seems that same is the case with the bhavan too.”

“First, they didn’t allow me to go out, then they didn’t allow others to come in, but now they have started allowing leaders of political parties to enter. They didn’t allow our students from Ladakh to meet us. They are just completely whimsical about who to allow or what to allow. They just do whatever and in a way it doesn’t surprise me as this is the way Ladakh is also being run,” he lamented.

Expressing his disappointment with the government’s evasive approach to fixing a meeting with the protestors, Wangchuck said they don’t want to believe that the government in a democratic country would be unresponsive to the last citizens of the nation coming from the farthest, remotest, and most sensitive borders of the country.

“We have stood by the nation and we thought the nation stands by us. People are becoming restless and feel that they have stood by the nation in every war but when it comes to the nation, to stand by them, they are kind of abandoning them,” he added.

Vowing to continue his fast until the government either resolves the issues or schedules talks with Ladakhi leaders, he emphasised that high-level discussions are essential for meaningful outcomes. He said it would make them (the government) rise in the eyes of people and look more respectable.

He also demanded that the talks should not be held with the minister of state as it leads to an unproductive outcome. “The talks should be headed by the home minister himself for some decisive outcomes. With the MoS, it kept on running in circles for a full four years. That’s not how you deal with a sensitive border area,” Wangchuck contended.