Arvind Kejriwal (ANI)
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Friday condemned the accusations against Sonam Wangchuk, and took a jibe at the central government stating that it was using its “entire machinery” for harassing the person who was thinking about the country’s progress. In a post on social media X, Kejriwal wrote, “Read about Sonam Wangchuk. The person who thinks about the country, thinks about education, makes new inventions, is being harassed by the entire machinery of the central government today under extremely cheap politics. It feels extremely sad – how the reins of the country are in the hands of such people. How will such a country progress?” the post read.This comes after unrest occurred in Ladakh, followed by a 14-day hunger strike by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, who had been peacefully protesting for these demands for five years, even undertaking a notable barefoot walk from Leh to Delhi.The unrest in Leh stemmed from long-standing demands for statehood and inclusion in the Sixth Schedule. People in Jammu and Kashmir have also made a similar demand of statehood ever since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019. Authorities in Leh have imposed restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.According to an order from the district magistrate, an assembly of five or more persons is banned in the district; no procession, rally or march is to be carried out without prior written approval in Leh. It is well known that the government of India has been actively engaged with the Apex Body Leh and the Kargil Democratic Alliance on the same issues. A series of meetings was held with them through the formal channels of the high-powered committee (HPC), as well as the sub-committee, and multiple informal meetings with leaders.The next meeting of the high-powered committee has been scheduled for 6th October. Meetings are also planned for 25th and 26th September with leaders from Ladakh.
