Ladakhi activist Sonam Wangchuk ended his 21-day hunger strike in Leh on Tuesday. However, his demands have found resonance among the local population. The Centre needs to engage with them. Some of his demands — rooted in the context of Ladakh, which has a sensitive ecology, and lies on the border with China, which harbours expansionist ambitions in this mountainous region — are valid.
Ladakh is a sparsely populated high-altitude cold desert sensitive to the climate crisis. Wangchuk’s critique of the State’s development agenda for the region needs to be considered in this context. Tourism has been an important part of the Ladakhi economy, but scaling up can harm the region’s environment. The proposed mega airport in Leh and a solar park spread over 20,000 hectares in the Changthang pastures need a relook. Development plans need to be sensitive to ecology and local concerns.
Wangchuk, however, has located his demands in the broader political economy of the region, which explains the call to extend the constitutional provisions under the Sixth Schedule to Ladakh: The Sixth Schedule will help guard Ladakh’s unique social and cultural features. Since 2019, Ladakh and Kargil have been reduced to a Union Territory and represented by an MP in the Lok Sabha. There may well be a case to have separate representatives for these two distinct regions, even if they are too sparsely populated to merit two parliamentary constituencies. However, Sixth Schedule status could introduce devolution of powers to the grassroots, which can, to some extent, address the larger sense of alienation the region has felt while it was governed from Srinagar in the past or New Delhi now. Similarly, the fear of Chinese encroachment on Indian pasture land should not be brushed aside. These are important concerns over which a conversation that includes local communities is needed. The Centre needs to assure them that the interests of Ladakh are on top of the rest of India’s mind.
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