Leh: Accusing the BJP of double standards, Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) co-chairman Sajjad Kargili on Saturday alleged that climate activist Sonam Wangchuk was being targeted for raising issues concerning Ladakh’s democratic rights, constitutional safeguards and political representation.
Kargili was addressing protesters gathered under the banner of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) in Leh for the past three days, expressing solidarity with them and Wangchuk, who was escorted home by police on Wednesday evening in view of prohibitory orders imposed ahead of the panchayat and municipal elections on November 21 and hill council elections on December 4.
LAB chairman Chering Dorjay Lakruk, who is leading a sit-in protest in Leh, on Friday clarified that the agitation was unrelated to the upcoming elections, saying it had been planned well in advance to press the government to resume dialogue on constitutional safeguards and the demand for a UT-level elected government headed by a Chief Minister.
A group of religious leaders also started a hunger strike on Saturday.
Referring to Wangchuk’s earlier call for a boycott of Chinese goods and the creation of the Union Territory, Kargili said those who hailed the climate activist as a hero are now criticising him.
“Today, when he speaks about Ladakh’s constitutional rights, democracy and political representation, you campaign against him,” Kargili said, accusing his critics of using media platforms to build a campaign against him.
He alleged that Wangchuk was being targeted for standing with his homeland and raising his voice for the protection of Ladakh’s land and identity.
The KDA leader accused Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena-led administration of promoting bureaucratic authoritarianism in Ladakh and called for the restoration of democracy, protection of land and identity, justice for those killed in the September 24, 2025 protests, and greater unity between the people of Leh and Kargil.
Rejecting claims that the LAB-KDA movement was aimed at securing political positions, Kargili cited late leader Qamar Ali Akhoon, saying he was elderly and wheelchair-bound, and questioned what positions he could possibly have sought.
Similarly, he said Lakruk, who is leading the movement in Leh, is an elderly former minister in the J&K government whose sole objective is to protect Ladakh from powerful industrialists close to the government and safeguard its land and resources for future generations.
“These are nothing but attempts to mislead the people and create a wedge between Leh and Kargil,” he said, adding that political leaders and governments would come and go, but the country, including Ladakh, would endure forever.
Emphasising the need to safeguard Ladakh’s land and collective interests, Kargili cautioned people against siding with "traitors" involved in the propaganda campaign against the Ladakh leadership engaged in dialogue with the government.
Referring to former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Kargili said no individual or political establishment was permanent and that the larger interests of the country and its people must remain paramount.
He alleged that people, including many retired soldiers, joining the BJP were projected as patriots and celebrated publicly, while those raising concerns over Ladakh’s rights were subjected to criticism and propaganda.
He pointed out that one of the five people killed in the September 24 protests in Leh last year was a retired Army personnel and questioned the lack of accountability over his death, alleging double standards in the response to the incident.
He said the people of Ladakh were eagerly awaiting the release of the judicial inquiry report into the violence, adequate compensation and withdrawal of cases.
Kargili urged people to introspect and decide whether they would allow themselves to be divided along religious lines or stand united in defence of their land and collective interests.
“The decision is ours to make. We must ask this question to ourselves,” he said.