Wangchuk awaits word on meeting with country's top leadership

Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Monday said he and his supporters will stay put at the Ladakh Bhawan till the authorities tell them when they will be able to meet the country's top leadership.

He said the protesters, who are demanding the inclusion of Ladakh in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, are not asking for anything unusual and are here to remind the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of its poll promise.

The Sixth Schedule pertains to the administration of tribal areas in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram as 'autonomous districts and autonomous regions'.

Wangchuk and his supporters began their indefinite fast at the Ladakh Bhawan on Sunday.

"We are going to sit here till we get a reply on when we will be able to meet our leaders. We walked for 30-32 days, we deserve to get a meeting at least," Wangchuk told PTI.

The people of Ladakh had welcomed the government's decision to make it a union territory because they were promised a legislature and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule, the climate activist said.

"We are not asking for anything unusual, we are here to remind the BJP of the promise it made in its manifestos," he said.

Wangchuk and his supporters marched to Delhi from Leh to press their demands and were detained at the capital's Singhu border on September 30. The 'Delhi Chalo Padyatra' is being spearheaded by the Leh Apex Body (LAB).

The protesters were released by Delhi Police on the night of October 2. On Sunday, Wangchuk stepped out of the Ladakh Bhawan around 4 pm and announced that he was going to sit on a fast.

On Sunday, heavy security was deployed at the Ladakh Bhawan and entry was restricted. However, on Monday, the extra force was removed and Wangchuk and others were allowed to meet visitors at the gate.

The Ramon Magsaysay awardee said the protesters spent the night in the open.

"It wasn't comfortable, we were almost on the road and there were mosquitoes. Now there's heat and these are Ladakhi people who are used to minus temperatures... There are old people as well but we will not move from here till our demand is met," Wangchuk said.

Earlier in the day, an LAB member told PTI that the authorities have not allowed the protesters to move to an alternate site to continue their stir, so the fast will continue at the Ladakh Bhawan.

Besides the inclusion of Ladakh under the Sixth Schedule, the protesters are demanding a public service commission for Ladakh and separate Lok Sabha seats for Leh and Kargil districts.