‘I need your help’: Sonam Wangchuk calls for ‘peaceful revolution’ ahead of Independence Day
NEW DELHI: Ahead of Independence Day, climate activist Sonam Wangchuk turned his focus from Ladakh to the country’s political future, calling for a “peaceful revolution” and urging citizens to help identify leaders who can take India towards meaningful change by 2047.In a video posted on X, Wangchuk said he had been unwell for the past few days and had spent the time reflecting on India’s future.He said he was disappointed by the country’s progress compared with several neighbouring nations, citing Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while referring to per capita GDP.“If this continues, we will not be a developed country in 2047, and we will not even be able to show our face in the world market,” he said.Wangchuk also linked the country’s development to the quality of its education system and political leadership.Referring to the recent change in the Union education ministry, he said the resignation of the education minister following protests was a welcome development but added that “no miracle can be seen” from the new minister either.“And as long as education is behind, the future of the country will also be behind,” he said.Wangchuk said the problem was not restricted to any particular political party. Referring to governments allegedly suppressing voices of dissent, he said similar patterns could be seen across states ruled by different parties.He also recalled the anti-corruption movement of 2012-13, saying a new government had emerged from that campaign but that corruption and injustice had since taken newer and larger forms.“So we need a very big change. We need a revolution. We need a peaceful revolution in this country, so that we can move forward with the right leaders,” Wangchuk said.He argued that choosing the right leadership was among the country’s biggest challenges.“Because the biggest shortcoming has been in choosing our leadership. Until the leaders are right, the entire country will be on the wrong path,” he said.In the caption accompanying his video on X, Wangchuk made a direct appeal to citizens, writing: “This independence day, I need your help…”He said the country needed a peaceful revolution, particularly in the way its leaders were chosen.“This country needs a peaceful revolution, at least in how we chose our leaders… if we are to remain even a respectable nation by 2047,” Wangchuk wrote.Wangchuk also raised concerns over the criminal backgrounds of elected representatives, saying almost half of Parliament’s members face criminal cases and around one-third face serious allegations including murder, rape and kidnapping.“So how can the country develop in such a situation?” he asked, while stressing that he was not talking about any particular party.Echoing his remarks in the video, Wangchuk wrote in the X caption: “Close to half of our MPs have criminal cases and a third have serious charges like murder, rape & kidnapping. No wonder trust deficit has become the biggest deficit in the nation.”Wangchuk said he wanted to bring together people who could help rethink the country’s future. He said he was looking beyond people who were merely intellectuals and wanted to meet individuals with integrity, courage and principles.“I want to consult the best minds in the country wherever they are, to brainstorm about what must change and how,* he wrote in his X post.He added, “Not just intellectuals who think but people who are selfless, fearless men & women of character & substance.”In the video, Wangchuk said he wanted to meet such people but, sitting in remote Ladakh, did not know who they were or where they could be found.“I want to meet such people. But here in Ladakh, I do not know where they are, who they are,” he said.He urged citizens to help him identify such people.“Sitting in remote Ladakh I don’t know who & where they are, so you can help by proposing at least one such name from the nation, and your region…” he wrote.Wangchuk ended his video by asking citizens to suggest names of people who could help create a “new map” for the country and contribute to a broader discussion on change.“On this Independence Day, you can give me a gift, a gift. Suggest such names, who you know, and have such qualities,” he said.His X caption ended with a larger question: “Together can we start India’s 2nd Indipendence movement!”Wangchuk also urged people to help amplify the message, writing: “You can also help by spreading this message and if possible by transalting it in your regional language.”The appeal comes amid Wangchuk’s continuing political activism in Ladakh. He has recently been involved in protests led by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been raising issues concerning governance and public grievances in the Union Territory.
