Mallikarjun Kharge's remarks come as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike entered its 15th day.Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday accused the Modi government of putting the country’s territorial integrity and national security at risk in dealing with China, and “attacking the constitutional rights of our own citizens of Ladakh”.
Kharge said that the Congress remains committed to protecting Ladakh and securing national interests at the borders.
In a post titled “Modi Ki Chinese Guarantee!” on X, Kharge wrote, “In Ladakh, there is a strong wave of public support, with unified calls for protection for tribal communities under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.”
“But like all other guarantees – ‘Modi Ki Guarantee’ to assure Constitutional rights to the people of Ladakh remains a colossal betrayal. It is nothing but fake and Chinese in nature,” the Congress chief said.
His remarks come as climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike entered its 15th day. Wangchuk has been sitting on fast to draw the Centre’s attention to the region’s demands of statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule for the Union Territory of Ladakh.
Wangchuk, a renowned education reformist, has been on ‘climate fast’ in Leh since March 6, a day after talks between the joint representatives of Leh-based Apex body and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) heading an agitation in support of four-point demands and the central government hit a deadlock.
The Sixth Schedule contains provisions related to the administration of tribal areas in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram through autonomous district councils.
Kharge alleged that the Centre wants to exploit the eco-sensitive Himalayan glaciers of Ladakh to benefit its “crony friends”.
“PM Modi’s CLEAN CHIT to China after Galwan Valley, post the sacrifice of our 20 bravehearts, has emboldened the expansionist nature of China at our strategic borders (sic).
“On one hand, Modi government has put our territorial integrity and national security at risk, and on the other hand, it is attacking the Constitutional Rights of our own citizens of Ladakh,” the Congress chief claimed in his post.
On the eastern Ladakh standoff, he said despite “at least 19 rounds of one-on-one talks between PM Modi and his Chinese counterpart since 2014, Modi government has failed to ensure status quo ante before 2020”.
He claimed that China continues to occupy Indian territory at Depsang Plains, Hot Springs and Gogra regions.