Ladakh LG Vinai Kumar Saxena’s claim of giving a dressing down to rights campaigner Sonam Wangchuk during an invite at his residence has sparked a sharp riposte from the activist, who accused him of violating the sanctity of the host-guest relationship and pleasing his bosses in Delhi.
Wangchuk and his wife, Gitanjali Angmo, had called on Saxena at Lok Bhavan in Leh on Tuesday, days after a high-level meeting between Ladakhi leaders and the Centre in Delhi to discuss the demand for greater rights. Saxena, in an X post later, said he had a “candid exchange” with the couple in the “backdrop of the constructive dialogue in the Union home ministry”.
The lieutenant governor said the positivity, both in terms of development initiatives and political dialogue, needed to be maintained, before allegedly warning Wangchuk to conduct himself.
“I cautioned Shri Wangchuk to abjure from weaving a misleading and provocative narrative which vitiates public discourse. Democratic expression must not be taken as a licence for fabricating falsehoods and rabble-rousing,” Saxena said.
He claimed Wangchuk acknowledged that comparing the situation of Ladakh with Manipur was “an error of judgement” and that he was “unsure of the origins of the Cockroach Party and would study the motivations of its founders and revisit his stand, if necessary”.
Wangchuk on Friday released a video saying: “Friends, how will you feel if somebody invites you as a guest to your home, offers tea, speaks sweetly, asks about your work and talks about collaboration. During the conversation, he talks about some issues and expresses some concerns before parting cordially with smiles. An hour later, the host publicised to the world in a tweet that he gave a stern warning to his guest not to make such statements. Won’t it create a mess? This is what happened with us.”