When Indira Gandhi flew to Leh to meet Sonam Wangchuk's father: Why Congress is reviving 1984 episode amid Delhi protest

Decades after Indira Gandhi, as prime minister, visited Leh to meet Ladakhi leader Sonam Wangyal during his hunger strike seeking greater rights for the region’s people, the Congress has brought up the historic episode while backing Wangyal’s son Sonam Wangchuk in his current campaign that seeks resignation of Education Minister Dharmedra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in competitive exams.

The educationist and climate activist's hunger strike entered its 20th day on Friday at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.

In 1984, Indira Gandhi had visited Leh to hold talks with Wangyal, who was fasting to seek Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for Ladakh’s communities. The Congress has now drawn parallels with that outreach as Wangchuk continues his campaign over issues concerning Ladakh, including demands for special status and constitutional safeguards.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera cited examples of previous governments engaging with protesters despite differences, pointing to Indira Gandhi’s meeting with Wangyal in 1984 and the UPA government’s talks with agitating groups in 2011.

"That is what Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji did in 1984. That is what Dr. Manmohan Singh's government did in 2011. They understood that a government's first responsibility is engagement, even in disagreement," Khera said.

He accused the current government of adopting an approach of "indifference" towards demands for education reforms raised by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) and protesters at Jantar Mantar.

"This government, however, has chosen indifference. It has refused to engage with the demand for education reforms -- whether raised by Shri Rahul Gandhi and the NSUI and IYC workers across the country or the protesters at Jantar Mantar. Such indifference is not merely arrogant; it is callous and wholly unworthy of a democracy," Khera said.

The Congress' renewed focus on the 1984 meeting came amid reports that Sonia Gandhi, chairperson of the Congress Parliamentary Party (CPP), pushed for a more visible response from the party. Congress president and Rajya Sabha Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and several other party MPs took part in the meeting that reportedly happened on Thursday.

During the discussion, Sonia Gandhi referred to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s 1984 visit to Leh, when she met Ladakhi leader Sonam Wangyal, father of activist Sonam Wangchuk, amid his hunger strike seeking Scheduled Tribe (ST) recognition for Ladakh’s communities, reported Indian Express and others citing sources.

Although Rahul Gandhi has not met Wangchuk during the protest, he was in Dehradun on July 17 to attend a Congress rally centred on the same cause.

The 1984 meeting between Indira Gandhi and Sonam Wangyal later became part of a longer political process. Five years after the agitation began, the Centre granted Scheduled Tribe status to eight communities in Jammu and Kashmir in 1989 through a presidential order.

The Congress’ reference to the Indira Gandhi-Wangyal meeting also found support online, with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das sharing a post featuring a photograph of the 1984 interaction. Referring to the episode, Das wrote, “The government must learn how to respond and accept accountability.”

The political career of Wangchuk's father

Wangyal began his political career with the National Conference before moving to the Indian National Congress , where he later held a ministerial position in the Jammu and Kashmir government after being inducted into the Cabinet in 1975. He was later expelled from the Congress in 1987 over what the party described as “anti-party” activities. He died in 1998.

Sonam Wangchuk’s activism

Sonam Wangchuk, meanwhile, has stayed away from electoral politics but has remained active as an educationist and climate activist, advocating for Ladakh’s rights and environmental concerns. He was recently jailed for six months under the National Security Act (NSA) following protests seeking greater safeguards and special status for the Union Territory, which was created after Jammu and Kashmir lost its statehood in 2019.