New Delhi: Climate activist and educator Sonam Wangchuk has accused the Union government of going back on its promises reached with protesting Ladakh groups, noting the failure to hold a proposed meeting on Thursday (October 22) had once again crushed the hopes of the people in the region.At an impromptu press conference in Delhi, Wangchuk said that representatives of Leh Apex Body (LAB) and Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA), who have been leading the agitation for Ladakh’s statehood and implementation of Sixth Schedule, were prepared for the next round of discussions today, PTI reported.The last talks happened on October 15 in Leh, where the groups submitted their draft to the Union home ministry and received the ministry’s proposal in return. Wangchuk said the drafts were to be discussed at the next meeting.“I had already booked my tickets. We made our plans accordingly, but now they are saying the meeting is not happening,” he said at the press conference. Prior to the briefing, he had also released a video on X regarding how they were “betrayed” by the ministry. I’ll be at Ladakh Bhavan Delhifor talks with Home Ministry today but… https://t.co/fdcrdNtZPk— Sonam Wangchuk (@Wangchuk66) October 22, 2026Wangchuk, who has been vocal about the issues, asserted that their demand for a legislature was rooted in the need to give Ladakh’s people a say in how the region was governed, noting that the Union territory’s strategic position on the border with China made its democratic rights particularly important.“On one hand, China is claiming Ladakh, and on the other hand our government is alienating the Ladakhis. We demanded protection under Article 371 of the constitution, which was agreed to in a meeting on May 22. Now they are offering us a council-type body. We will not settle for anything less than a UT with legislature. If the Centre supports us, we can become a full state, so that they can give an answer to China. Ladakh is a tribal place and we are ready to take the issue to the United Nations. Why are they betraying us? They have placed the lieutenant-governor above us, who is akin to a Viceroy,” Wangchuk said.‘They give corporates land for just one rupee’The activist also raised concerns about the protection of Ladakh’s land, resources and identity, stating that around 90% of its population belonged to tribal communities. He said the locals risked being marginalised in decisions involving corporate interests, and questioned the policies that were being pursued “without public consent”.“Those whose ancestors have land in Ladakh, they are being told, ‘you’ve occupied it; so you’ll have to pay for it’, and that amount isn’t small – it is in millions of rupees. If you can’t pay it, then they will sell it to someone who can afford it… On the other hand, they’re giving big corporates land for just one rupee (an acre). They say it belongs to the public sector, but there’s no restriction on public sector undertakings for giving it to anyone. So, they give it to businesses for just a rupee, while our people can’t afford the lakhs of rupees involved. People are very upset because of all this; protests are starting, and this unrest is only growing,” he said.Wangchuk’s allegation draws a reminder of Bihar’s Bhagalpur, where Adani Power received 1,020 acres pf land for lease at Rs 1 Per acre per year, as The Wire previously reported.“Whatever good has happened, we salute it. But nobody wants a cage, even if it is made of gold,” Wangchuk added. Citing the example of Arunachal Pradesh, which was granted statehood in 1987 despite its sensitive border location, he argued that strategic considerations should not be used to deny Ladakh an elected legislature.He accused the ministry of compromising national security in sensitive border areas for its own reasons.According to The Hindu’s report, the home ministry had circulated a 32-page presentation outlining a proposed constitutional framework for Ladakh and sought comments from the LAB and the KDA. Advocate Vikram Hegde, who has been advising the LAB and KDA during negotiations with the ministry, was also present at the press conference. He said the gap between the government’s proposal and the aspirations of Ladakh people was substantial.“We expected a sui generis model that would provide Ladakh with a legislature and constitutional safeguards. However, the draft moved in a very different direction and proposed an arrangement that is even weaker than the Hill Council structure that Ladakh had earlier,” he said.In September, Wangchuk had alleged that what India is doing in Ladakh, is an oppression that even “China is not doing in Tibet”. His comments came as most of Ladakh, including Leh and Kargil, observed a shutdown to pay tributes to the civilians killed during the protests in Leh on September 24, 2025, and reiterate their demand for statehood and constitutional safeguards under the Sixth Schedule.