Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) on Saturday defended climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's participation in the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest in Delhi. They asserted that he attended in his personal capacity and that his engagement with national issues would not undermine Ladakh's movement.
Alleging that repeated rounds of talks with the Centre yielded little tangible progress, the leaders said they were considering reaching out to political parties and other stakeholders across the country for support. Wangchuk joined the June 6 protest in Delhi, organised by CJP supporters, to back their demands, which included the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations and recruitment tests.
The LAB and the KDA held their core group meeting here on Friday evening. LAB Co-Chairman Chering Dorjay, KDA Co-Chairman Asgar Ali Karbalai, MP Ladakh Haneefa Jan and Wangchuk attended the meeting.
"Wangchuk had not attended the Delhi event as a representative of the Apex Body. He is a national figure. He is not merely a leader from Ladakh but also an environmentalist whose work is recognised across the country. He has gone there in his personal capacity," Dorjay told reporters here.
He said Wangchuk had to travel to Switzerland, had a flight this morning and could not attend the press conference.
"During the Core group meeting, with Wangchuk present, we discussed this issue in detail. The consensus was that there is nothing wrong with engaging on a national issue such as education. In fact, it is not only about education - there are many other issues as well. ...I would like to clarify that he has not gone there as a representative of the Apex Body. He has gone in his personal capacity. From our perspective, we do not see any harm in this. In fact, it can only benefit our movement rather than harm it," Dorjay said.
Karbalai said it is not correct to suggest, as some have implied, that he is neglecting Ladakh's issues or leaving them unfinished to focus on national issues.
"If there is anyone who has consistently taken Ladakh's concerns to national and international platforms, it is Wangchuk," he said.
Referring to the slow progress of talks with the Centre over the past five years regarding key demands, including statehood and the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, he said both the KDA and the Apex Body may be compelled to consider engaging with other stakeholders across India regarding Ladakh's concerns.
"If the Government of India and the MHA continue to remain unresponsive -- holding meetings, conducting talks, but producing no concrete outcomes -- then we will have to explore other avenues," he said, adding that the dialogue process increasingly resembled a cycle of negotiations followed by agitation, with little progress on the ground.
He said when such a situation exceeds all reasonable limits, they may have no choice but to reach out to other stakeholders across the country, including opposition parties and other organisations, to discuss Ladakh's issues.
"If they are willing to support the cause of Ladakh, we see no problem with that. If Wangchuk has accepted an invitation from a particular organisation or platform and is explaining Ladakh's concerns there, and if that platform helps bring attention to Ladakh's cause, then we see no harm in it," Karbalai said.