By Kumkum Chadha

Ladakh continues to be restive. The violence has ebbed, but what has not is the frustration of the people in the hill state and the government’s targeting of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk. All pleas to release him have gone unheeded and Wangchuk continues to remain behind bars: “We believe he is innocent. He is not responsible and is not the person behind the violence in Ladakh. In fact, it was because of him that our demand got highlighted all over India,” said Chering Dorjay Lakrook, who is co-chair of Apex Body that is in talks with the government on their demands of statehood and granting the Sixth Schedule, among other things, in an exclusive interview to a national daily.

Dismissing allegations that Wangchuk’s inflammatory speeches led to the recent violence, Lakrook said: “He did not instigate people for violence. In fact, he spoke of non-violence. Maybe some people misinterpreted what he said. For us he is innocent.” 

The reason for the government targeting him is because thanks to Wangchuk, “our movement got impetus” said Lakrook, reiterating that Wangchuk is innocent and should be released: “The allegations need to be proved and the government is free to investigate the charges”, implying that till that happens it is unfair to castigate him.

Underlining that the protests and violence that followed were a result of  “accumulated anger”, Lakrook alleged that the government is indulging in a blame game to “hide its weaknesses”. The main issue, he reiterated, is unemployment.  

“Educated youth are fed up with the government and their unkept promises. They promised Sixth schedule some six years ago and there was no action on that so there was frustration, as there was on the issue of providing jobs to the educated and so on and so forth,” said Lakrook. 

Pitch this against the charter of demands by the Apex Body and there is a deadlock. “We want statehood, an additional member of Parliament and jobs,” Lakrook said, even as the Apex Body negotiates with the government on how far they can go, what they want and what the government will actually give or not give. 

The side story to negotiations is the demand to release Wangchuk even though it is not a precondition to talks: “We never said that his release is a condition to participate in the talks. We have only said that he should be released unconditionally, but we never made it a condition to our talks with the government. After all, he is part of our organization, a member of Apex Body so we have to support him. Not only him, there are others who are behind bars and we are asking for their release too. We are behind all of them and Sonam Wangchuk is one of them,” said Lakrook.

Among those who celebrated scrapping of Article 370, Lakrook and his people, as is the majority in Ladakh, are now disappointed: “We wanted separation in a different way. We wanted UT status with the legislature. We got UT, but without a legislature so there is a big difference here. When we were part of Jammu and Kashmir, we used to send four MLAs and two MLCs to the J&K assembly, but now we don’t have that. We opposed Article 370 because it was an obstacle in Ladakh getting a UT status. We have got UT status, but we have lost the protection that Article 370 gave us. Then our land was protected, our jobs were protected and nobody from outside the state could buy land in Ladakh. Now this has changed,” Lakrook said.

On it being an “interesting coincidence” that the accumulated anger swelling for six years erupted when Wangchuk raised the statehood demand, Lakrook said: “It needs a spark… if there is anger these people must be waiting for a chance to show their anger” even as he denied that the  “spark” was thanks to Wangchuk’s protests. “I don’t think so,” he said. 

On Wangchuk’s alleged links with Pakistan Lakrook said: “If anyone goes to Pakistan for a conference how does he become pro-Pakistan or anti-India? He went there to take part in a debate on the environment. He goes all over the world… Pakistan, China, so what is wrong with it? I also went to Pakistan so am I anti-national?”

On Wangchuk being an erstwhile “poster boy” of the centre to now being jailed, Lakrook is at a “loss for an answer”, saying that only the government has an answer to this souring of relationship between the two. 

As for the big picture, Lakrook says that the government labelling the people of Ladakh as anti-national has hurt sentiments and caused irreparable damage: “We are always for India and our struggle is to be closer to the mainstream rather than going the way separatists have done in Kashmir. We are and will remain pro-India. So, the people are hurt by this labelling,” he said.  

Likewise, the people feel shortchanged on the issue of the Sixth Schedule: “It was the government’s promise and if they promise something during the elections they should have fulfilled it else they should not have promised Sixth Schedule to Ladakh,” he said. 

For someone who has severed his relationship with the BJP, being a former minister and state president, Lakrook said: “I resigned because during the pandemic there were many problems. There were students all over India and we wanted to bring them back home. They were stuck and I requested everyone in the BJP to help, but there was no response. So, when there was no help forthcoming, I resigned”. 

For someone who gave up power and his coveted position in the party, Lakrook vows to continue to fight for his people and his region. 

—The writer is an author, journalist and political commentator

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