Will take final call at Leh meeting on Feb 26, says Sonam Wangchuk

Sonam Wangchuk, a key campaigner for constitutional safeguards for Ladakh, on Tuesday said the proposed “fast unto death” protest will be reviewed next week, depending on the outcome of talks with the Centre over their various demands, including statehood to the Union Territory.

“We will call a public gathering in Leh city on February 26 to either thank the government or go for a fast unto death in case the talks fail,” Wangchuk, who was set to begin a hunger strike till death from Tuesday in support of the demands, said.

The Ladakh leadership, which is presently camping in New Delhi, temporarily dropped the “fast unto death” programme after a fresh round of talks with the central government on Monday, terming the development as significant. It said the Centre had agreed to discuss threadbare the demands for statehood, inclusion of the Union Territory in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and the setting up of an exclusive public service commission for the high-altitude region.

The agreement was agreed during a meeting between the high powered committee for Ladakh headed by Union minister Nityanand Rai, and a 14-member delegation of the Apex Body of Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, representing organisations of the UT.

“We will wait till the February 24 meeting of the sub-committee and the return of our leaders to Leh on February 25. We will call a very big public gathering the next day in Leh city to either thank the government for meeting our demands or start our fast unto death in case the talks fail,” Wangchuk, a winner of the Ramon Magsaysay Award, said.