High in the Himalayas, resistance to Modi is on the rise

This article High in the Himalayas, resistance to Modi is on the rise was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

The return of Narendra Modi as prime minister of India for a third consecutive term has come as a wakeup call for the right-wing Bharatiya Janta Party, or BJP. Unlike 2014 and 2019, Modi’s party this time fell short of the numbers needed to win an outright majority in parliament, despite his pre-election boasts to the contrary. 

Analysts attribute concerns over unemployment, inflation and growing conflict with China for Modi’s modest mandate. Apart from losing support from strongholds like Uttar Pradesh, Modi also lost ground in the mountainous region of Ladakh, which shares borders with China and Pakistan. 

Despite being nearly 15,000 feet above sea level and far from the center of power in New Delhi, Ladakh has become a major source of strife for Modi’s government in recent years. From a border dispute with China that dented BJP’s macho image to the rise of a protest movement pressing for autonomy, statehood, land and jobs, it is perhaps no surprise that the BJP candidate lost in this region. 

With the advent of the weakened Modi 3.0 in New Delhi, the movement’s key figure — Ladakh engineer and climate justice activist Sonam Wangchuk — is preparing to launch the next phase of action. “If our rightful demands aren’t met, then we will resume our campaign soon,” he said. “The ball is in the court of New Delhi.”

Back in March, Wangchuck began a 21-day fast that sparked thousands of others to follow suit. One of those who joined was 28-year-old rapper Padma Ladol. In April, Ladol assisted a group of women climate justice campaigners in Leh, one of Ladakh’s two provinces, high up in the Himalayas.

“Every day hundreds of people across Ladakh — and from different corners of the country — came and supported this climate fast movement, with many keeping fast for at least a day in solidarity,” said Ladol, whose job as a volunteer was to record the number of the visitors and tend to anyone fasting for three or more days.

Thanks to volunteer organizations, the movement was able to offer tents and temporary accommodations to protesters staying overnight — with one tent being used to charge mobile phones, electric gadgets and batteries. According to Ladol, “All this became possible due to the mobilization of people across religious, ideological and political divides for a cause that’s close to our hearts.”

Now, with protest actions on the cusp of restarting — after being put on pause last month for the elections — Ladol is ready to jump back in. This time she says it’s a do or die situation, with so many young people suffering from rising unemployment and being affected by damaging infrastructure  projects started by the government. “I will follow [Wangchuck’s] protest movement again, whenever he starts, as our elder leaders are fighting for our bright future.”

Why is the cold desert protesting?

In August 2019, Modi’s BJP government repealed parts of the Indian Constitution that led to Ladakh being separated from Jammu and Kashmir, which had previously been a semi-autonomous state. As a result, Ladakh — with its two provinces, Leh and Kargil — was declared a new union territory, meaning it was to be governed directly by the federal government in New Delhi. 

This move drew mixed responses in Ladakh. The Buddhist-majority Leh province celebrated the decision, believing that the ruling BJP government would address their issues and demands. Meanwhile, the Muslim-majority Kargil province reacted with skepticism through peaceful protest and shutdown for several weeks. 

However, five years later, both sides joined hands in opposition, angry at the failed promises of the federal government to grant autonomy and self-governance to Ladakh via the Sixth Schedule in India’s Constitution, which protects Indigenous and tribal groups by giving them authority to make laws regarding their land, resources and culture.

As a result, community leaders formed Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance — a conglomeration of religious, political and civil society groups in the two provinces. Knowing that violence would give the government an opportunity to stop the movement by forceful measures, they are unified in following the footsteps and nonviolent principles of India’s founding father, Mahatma Gandhi, as they strive for their demands. 

Years before these advocacy groups were formed, when Ladakh was part of Jammu and Kashmir, two autonomous councils composed of local representatives were created to address the concerns of this tribal region. However, after the reorganization in 2019, these local bodies started to change for the worse. 

“The chairmen of the two councils used to enjoy powers that were almost akin to heads of state,” said Gyurmet Dorjey, the opposition party leader in Leh. Now, as he explained, any order passed by the council has to pass through bureaucrats in New Delhi. “We are powerless and subservient to whims and fancies of bureaucrats who are not sensitive to local concerns.”

Leaders in Ladakh say that their demand for statehood and autonomy via Sixth Schedule are a part of their effort to safeguard the tribal populations.  They want their respective cultures, languages and customs to thrive — as well as to protect the fragile environment from non-tribal and non-local land buyers who might set up heavy industry.

“The government of India cheated on us by separating us from Jammu and Kashmir and declaring Ladakh a union territory without legislature,” said Kargil Democratic Alliance member Sajjad Kargili. “[This] won’t work for Ladakh, as again we have to be under New Delhi, which is not acceptable to us.” 

Journey from promise to protest

In January 2023 — over a year before the climate fast movement began — Wangchuk fasted for five days at an altitude of around 11,500 feet at his Himalayan Institute of Alternatives in freezing temperatures. It was an SOS to India’s prime minister, seeking his immediate intervention to safeguard the Himalayas, glaciers, land and people of Ladakh. 

For this action, Wangchuk alleges that the authorities raided his institute several times. They placed his bank accounts under surveillance and he was asked to call off the strike, which he refused to do. 

This initiative by Wangchuk was followed by protests in Ladakh, Jammu and India’s capital of New Delhi. Supporters also held huge peaceful protest marches in Kargil and Leh towns, with around 30,000 people at just one of the protests in Leh. 

Sensing trouble in this sensitive border region, New Delhi invited the representatives from Ladakh for talks in December 2023. After a few rounds, the dialogue process hit a dead end when federal Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah “refused to accept their demands.”

It was at this point, on March 6, that Wangchuk decided to start his 21-day long fast. After his successful completion of the fast, other groups of men and women — including Muslim women and Buddhist monks — followed suit. They took turns fasting in groups, which continued until May 10, when they were suspended for the elections. 

With the BJP back in power, Apex Body Leh coordinator Jigmat Paljor said the people of Ladakh won’t be stopped. “They will again put forth their demands before the new government and, if need be, restart the movement.”

Peace offensive to counter threats

“Ladakh’s climate fast activism is not a spontaneous reaction” Wangchuk said. “It is the hard work of the last four years, during which we educated the local tribal population about the lobbies of industrial players coming to build huge infrastructures in Ladakh, particularly in border areas where locals are hardly aware of their tactics.”

He reiterated that the people of Ladakh are not against the development of the country. He wants the industrialists who are trying to set up solar energy plants and other mining plants in Ladakh to be sensitive to the climate and environment. “Their unbridled initiatives to take over the grazing lands will snatch livelihood from tribals and deteriorate the fragile ecosystem of the region.”

Beyond the demand for autonomy and self-governance, the climate fast movement aims to focus the world’s attention on the Himalayas, or what is now called the “third pole” of the planet. The glaciers there are melting quickly, threatening the fresh water supply for two billion people.

This so-called third pole is the source of 10 major rivers in Asia and has the greatest mass of snow outside the two polar regions. According to the 2019 research done by NASA’s High Mountain Asia Team, glaciers in the Himalayas will be 35-75 percent smaller in volume by 2100 due to rapid melting.

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Dragon on the doorsteps

At an altitude of 15,000 feet above sea level, Ladakh’s Changthang region is home to a nomadic population of around 12,000 people. These nomads rear Pashmina goats for their prized wool, but due to tensions along the disputed border area between India and China — known as the Line of Actual Control — they are caught in the conflict between two militaries. 

According to Sonam Tsering, a former councilor in Leh, there have been land grabs from Chinese forces in Eastern Ladakh over the years. “Herders from the Indian side suffered the losses due to their shrinking pasturelands,” Tsering said. “This destabilized the sustainable livelihood options of the herders, known as Changpas, and led to their migration away from Changthang slowly.”

As one herder, 35-year-old Lobzang Dadul noted, “Twenty years ago, around 60 households of nomads were living in my village. Now only 20 households are left.” As a result, the production of Pashmina has reduced 30 percent in just a couple years.

In April, Wangchuk — inspired by Gandhi’s historic Salt March — decided to call for a peaceful “Pashmina March” towards the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh. It was a way to draw attention to the “grabbing of grazing land,” even though the Indian government maintains that “not an inch of land” has been lost, so as to maintain the perception of strength.

Meanwhile, the administration in Leh — which reports to New Delhi — imposed restrictions and disallowed the march. They threatened to suspend internet service in the region, which would have impacted tourism, a mainstay of the economy here. “If the government had nothing to hide, then they should have allowed this march within our own country,” Wangchuk insisted.

Even though he has overwhelming support for his greater cause of climate justice in the region, some question Wangchuk over not calling out the BJP government earlier and condoning the party’s decisions. 

“A few years back, Wangchuk many a time praised Prime Minister Modi and his government over the decision of separating Ladakh from the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state,” environment expert Soumya Dutta said. “But now he is saying they did not fulfill the promises made by the Modi government in Ladakh. Wasn’t he aware of the direction and policies of the BJP government in other states?”

A glimmer of hope

Amid the gloomy picture, the recent climate fast movement has become a sign of hope for the people of Ladakh. Wangchuk as the poster boy of these protests is quite optimistic about the direction of his campaign. 

“Now that this movement has become national and international discourse, our aim is to apply political pressure very peacefully,” he said. “Major political parties of Ladakh are contesting the ongoing parliamentary polls with a promise of safeguarding our rights and the implementation of Sixth Schedule. This is a positive sign.” 

People across India, who were not able to come to Ladakh, fasted in their own cities, starting awareness campaigns and conveying messages of solidarity to the people of Ladakh through social media. In cities like Pune and Bangalore, thousands of miles from Leh, several groups of students and activists kept day-long fasts in solidarity during this period. Meanwhile, some prominent celebrities and social media influencers visited Leh to meet Wangchuk and the protesters, including prominent Indian film star Prakash Raj, who also issued statements in support of Wangchuk and his cause.

Perhaps most importantly, though, this movement has awakened the young generation of Ladakh, who recognize the pressing issues that threaten their future. As a result, people like rapper Padma Ladol are now ready to begin the next phase of their growing nonviolent campaign. 

“I was told by the police to not be part of this movement,” Ladol said. “But if I don’t raise my voice and be vocal for this movement at this crucial juncture of history, who else will? This is the awakening of Ladakh.” 

This article High in the Himalayas, resistance to Modi is on the rise was originally published by Waging Nonviolence.

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