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REGIONAL

Leh Apex Body calls for mass rally, Sonam Wangchok hunger strikes to demand special status for Ladakh

By News Desk

January 30, 2023

Eminent educationist and reformist from Ladakh, Sonam Wangchok is observing a hunger strike to protect the environment of Ladakh and demanding the fulfillment of the four-point agenda of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance which also includes the implementation of 6th Scheduled for Ladakh.

Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance are up in arms against the BJP-led Central Government demanding the protection of jobs and land in Ladakh region.

In his address to the media, Sonam Wangchok appealed to the prime minister and home minister to initiate dialogue with the leadership of Ladakh personally for resolving the demands of the Ladakhi people.

Both the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance have welcomed the statement of Sonam Wangchok and have called for a mass rally on 31st January against the failure of the Union Government to protect the identity and culture of the Ladakh region. The people of Ladakh have been seeking constitutional safeguards for jobs and land.

A leader from Kargil Democratic Alliance told the news agency Kashmir News Trust that Thupstan Chhewang, Chairman of Leh Apex Body has appealed to the people of Ladakh to make the rally a grand success and participate in it even if there is a snowfall.

“We also appeal to the people of Ladakh to join and support the mass rally to make it a success so that the central government takes serious note of the voice of the agitating people of Ladakh regarding the fulfillment of the four-point agenda of Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic alliance,” he said.

Pertinently, Sonam Wangchuk is an engineer, innovator, and education reformist. He is the founding director of the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL) and is also known for designing the SECMOL campus that runs on solar energy and uses no fossil fuels for cooking, lighting, or heating. [KNT]