Srinagar, Mar 26: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Tuesday ended his 21-day hunger strike.

He went on a hunger strike to demand statehood for Ladakh, demanding constitutional safeguards for Ladakh and its inclusion in the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.

On the last day of his fast, Magsaysay Award-winning educationist Wangchuk appealed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to show some statesmanship and farsightedness to address the issues of Ladakh.

“We are trying to remind and awaken the conscience of our Prime Minister Mr Modi and our Home Minister Mr Amit Shah to safeguard the fragile ecosystems of the Himalayan mountains in Ladakh and the unique indigenous tribal cultures that drive here,” Wangchuk said in a video message posted on X.

“We do not want to think of Modi ji and Amit Shah Ji as just politicians. We would rather like to think of them as statesmen and for that they will have to show some character and farsightedness,” he said.

“We hope that our leaders will show some statesmanship and farsightedness when it comes to especially fragile ones like the Himalayas and Ladakh and other eco sensitive zones within the country,” he said.

Wangchuk also urged the countrymen to vote cautiously during the upcoming parliamentary polls.

“ India is the mother of democracy. We citizens have a very special power. We are the king makers we can compel a government to change their ways or change the government if that doesn’t work. So let’s remember to use our ballot very carefully this time in the interest of the nation,” he said.

UNI