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Sonam Wangchuk accuses Centre of betraying Ladakh over unfulfilled promises of constitutional safeguards and democratic rights.
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The 22 October meeting with the Union home ministry fails to take place, deepening an impasse despite five rounds of talks since February.
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Leh and Kargil groups press for statehood, Sixth Schedule protections, an elected Assembly and safeguards for land, jobs and the environment.
In his first media interaction after being detained during the Gen Z protest at Jantar Mantar in July, climate activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday, 22 October accused the Central government of betraying Ladakh by backtracking on its promises of constitutional safeguards, an elected Assembly, and democratic rights for the Union Territory.
Addressing the media at Ladakh Bhavan in Delhi alongside lawyer Vikram Hegde, Wangchuk said the Centre was failing the people of Ladakh even as pressure from China along the border continued to mount.
“On one hand, China is building pressure. They don’t even recognise Ladakh and (say) Ladakh is a part of China,” Wangchuk said. “But the country we love is not treating us well. They are moving away from every promise to the extent that they are not giving the people of Ladakh the same status as the rest of the people.”
The remarks come amid a prolonged impasse between the Centre and Ladakh’s civil society groups over the region’s political future and constitutional protections. The latest round of talks in Leh on 15 October remained inconclusive, while a meeting with the Union home ministry scheduled for 22 October, following an earlier invitation, did not take place, Wangchuk said.
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