“Colonial Mindset Endures”: Mehbooba Mufti Slams Centre Over Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike as BJP Hits Back
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chief and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has launched a scathing attack on the Central government regarding its handling of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing hunger strike in New Delhi. Taking a sharp swipe at the ruling administration for refusing to officially engage with the Ladakh-based protesters currently gathering at Jantar Mantar, Mufti stated that while the British may have left India, a “colonial mindset seems to endure” within the current corridors of power. She strongly criticized the government’s reluctance to hold meaningful dialogue with the activist, who has been demanding the protection of Ladakh’s fragile ecology, land rights, and democratic representation through the extension of the Sixth Schedule.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swiftly retaliated to Mufti’s comments, accusing her of political opportunism and attempts to fuel regional unrest. BJP leaders hit back by asserting that the Union government remains fully committed to the development and security of Ladakh, as evidenced by recent structural enhancements and administrative focus in the region. The party dismissed Mufti’s “colonial mindset” barb as an ironic critique coming from dynastic regional leaders, arguing that opposition parties are merely trying to weaponize a localized activist movement for their own political survival. As Wangchuk’s fast continues to draw widespread national attention and political solidarity from various opposition factions ahead of the upcoming Parliament session, the escalating verbal duel between the PDP and the BJP underscores the deeply sensitive and highly polarized nature of governance and regional rights in the post-2019 Himalayan landscape.
