Sonam Wangchuk had said few days back To be honest, I seriously expected such things to happen in India post 2014... Not directly killing, but I expected Modi would eliminating the BIF threat in the backend...
uddu wrote: ↑24 Sep 2025 20:03 https://x.com/manamuntu/status/1970792017027567937
@manamuntu
Sonam Wangchuck and his CIA and ISI handlers! Leh is just the tip of the iceberg! This will reverberate across the nation and may turn into pan India protests on various issues according to our initial assessment.
India’s democracy threatened by vote-rigging, says Gandhi
Opposition leader’s comments signal collapse of confidence in the electoral commission
Indian National Congress party leader Rahul Gandhi, left, addresses the media in front of a screen showing India’s Prime Minister
Narendra Modi, centre, and Home Minister Amit Shah at the party headquarters in New Delhi.
Rahul Gandhi, left, addresses the media in front of a screen showing Narendra Modi and Amit Shah © Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty
Andres Schipani and Robin Harding in New Delhi
Published 5 hours ago
The world’s largest democracy is under siege from systematic vote-rigging by the government of Narendra Modi, the leader of India’s opposition has alleged in an interview with the Financial Times.
Rahul Gandhi, scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty that controls the Indian National Congress party, claimed there has been centralised manipulation of the voter rolls to “steal elections”, with the assistance of India’s electoral commission.
His remarks mark a breakdown in a sprawling democracy where there have often been allegations of voting irregularities but all parties have historically accepted the results of elections.
“We’ve been noticing anomalies in our election system as a political party for a long time,” said Gandhi, accusing the prime minister of the country of 1.4bn people of overseeing the alleged vote-rigging. “The guy at the top of the system has to do it,” he said. Modi’s office did not reply to a request for comment.
Gandhi’s comments come ahead of what analysts see as a closely contested state election in Bihar due in November. Opposition parties, including Congress, have been questioning the Election Commission of India’s decision to review the list of eligible voters in the northern state just months before the vote.
Modi’s nationalist Bharatiya Janata party, which performed below expectations and had to rely on allies to form a government following its third consecutive electoral victory last year, has won several state elections — including Haryana, Maharashtra and the capital region, Delhi — during the past year.
Gandhi and the Congress party did not provide evidence to show who was behind the alleged manipulation or that it was on a scale large enough to affect election results.
Gandhi provided what he said was sample evidence from elections in the states of Karnataka and Maharashtra, showing alleged deleted and duplicate voters, invalid addresses and bulk registrations at single locations.
The FT was unable to verify the evidence.
Gandhi’s comments form part of “a political strategy to say that the electoral commission, which is supposed to be a very impartial and neutral body, has steadily been hollowed out in the last 11 years,” said Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, a political writer and author of Narendra Modi: The Man, The Times.
“Rahul is looking at a short timeline, looking immediately at the impending elections in Bihar, taking on this from a national perspective, therefore focusing on Bihar to thoroughly discredit the Election Commission.”
According to a survey published last month by the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, a New Delhi-based research institution, confidence in India’s electoral body has dropped since the 2019 general election in all the six states surveyed. Overall, over half of respondents believed the election commission to be “working under pressure from the central government”.
The BJP and the Election Commission have both denied the rigging accusations. The commission said in a statement on Thursday that Gandhi’s claims about it were “incorrect and baseless”.
This week, at a political rally in Bihar, one of India’s most impoverished states, India’s home minister and Modi’s closest ally, Amit Shah, hit out at Gandhi, accusing him of spreading a “false narrative”.
Anurag Thakur, a member of parliament with the BJP, told reporters that it had “become a habit of Rahul Gandhi to make incorrect and baseless allegations”. He added: “The Congress party has lost approximately 90 elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi. His frustration is increasing day by day.”
Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia programme at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the vulnerabilities of Indian elections should not be overhyped, but “pretty serious cracks” were appearing in their conduct.
“The credibility of the election commission, which is widely seen as one of the most powerful elections bodies in the world, has really eroded, in part because they no longer appear to be truly independent,” Vaishnav said.
Indian politics was dominated by Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi clan for much of its post-independence history.
But the party and India’s broader centre left has been seen as a waning force in recent years, with some critics asserting that the family’s dominance of Congress was an obstacle to its progress and an easy target for the populist BJP because of its dynastic heritage.
The Congress party has also faced allegations of election fraud in the past.
In 1975, the late former prime minister Indira Gandhi, Rahul’s grandmother, was convicted of electoral malpractice during the general election four years before.
She then imposed a state of emergency under which civil liberties were suspended and political opponents jailed. India’s Supreme Court later overturned the malpractice verdict against her.
Gandhi said his party’s strategy is to challenge the integrity of India’s electoral system by building public pressure.
“We are playing the game of mass mobilisation. That’s the only way we have,” he said. “It is going to end there because there are huge parts of this country that, simply, will not accept a rigged election.”
Additional reporting by Jyotsna Singh in New Delhi
Violence erupted in Leh, Ladakh, on September 24, 2025, during protests seeking statehood and Sixth Schedule protections, resulting in four deaths and over 70 injuries after demonstrators targeted the Bharatiya Janata Party office and government buildings, which were set ablaze. Security forces responded with tear gas, batons, and gunfire in self-defense, following a hunger strike led by activist Sonam Wangchuk amid long-standing frustrations over unfulfilled promises since Ladakh's 2019 designation as a Union Territory, including high youth unemployment and loss of local autonomy. A curfew was imposed, internet services suspended, and over 50 people detained as the situation stabilized by evening
Ladakh Violence – A Fact Check
Claim: Protest was a spontaneous outburst against Govt of India.
Fact: Dialogue tables were already set. GOI held back-to-back meetings with Leh stakeholders and had scheduled further consultations. Miscreants hijacked the process to derail resolution.
Claim: It was a people’s uprising.
Fact: Orchestrated disruption. Activist Sonam Wanchuk, facing scrutiny over property proceedings, conveniently shifted the narrative from personal accountability to manufactured agitation. This wasn’t organic, it was opportunistic.
Claim: Political neutrality.
Fact: Footage shows Congress activists and local leaders directly involved in stone pelting and violence. This was less about Ladakh’s aspirations, more about reviving a sinking party’s relevance in the region.
Claim: Govt failed to listen.
Fact: The process of dialogue was already underway. Violence was used as a tactic to pre-empt outcomes that would not serve vested interests. The agenda was political theatre, not public interest.
Claim: Narrative of “people vs. state.”
Fact: Narrative-builders online pushed propaganda hashtags while ignoring the reality of government outreach. They turned Leh’s democratic process into a theatre of misinformation.
Conclusion:
Leh deserves justice, not manipulation. Organizers, foot soldiers, and narrative engineers must face accountability. Violence cannot be the substitute for dialogue, and propaganda cannot overwrite facts.
Ladakh Violence: Propaganda v/s Reality
Propaganda 1: Spontaneous anger at Central government
Reality: Structured talks were already on. Government teams met Leh stakeholders repeatedly and fresh consultations were lined up. Disorder wasn’t accidental—it was injected to derail progress.
Propaganda 2: Purely people-led protests
Reality: Disruption was stage-managed. Activist Sonam Wanchuk, facing heat over land/property matters, pivoted his troubles into a larger agitation. What looked like a grassroots surge was in fact calculated positioning.
Propaganda 3: Politically neutral movement
Reality: Video evidence places Congress cadres and local leaders in the thick of stone-pelting. The violence was less about Ladakh’s cause, more about salvaging a sinking party’s relevance.
Propaganda 4: “People vs State” narrative
Reality: Online campaigners pumped hashtags and selective clips to construct a false binary. In truth, a democratic process was in play—hijacked by propaganda.
Propaganda 5: Centre ignored Ladakh’s voice
Reality: Dialogue was very much alive. Violence was a shortcut to avoid outcomes that didn’t suit vested interests. This was theatre, not genuine grievance.
Ladakh — just 3.1 lakh people, yet 1,960 registered NGOs.
Why so many in such a strategic region?
Who funds them & what’s the real purpose?
Some so-called activists openly spread anti-India narratives with foreign links. Hidden agendas at play?
Stay vigilant. Don’t fall for subversion from within.
- BJP Office Gutted
- Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council Damaged & Burned
- CRPF/Police Vehicles Burned
- 10 people injured. 2 critical.
- One CRPF Jawan also injured.
Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag, Congress Councillor for Upper Leh Ward was seen instigating people for rioting in Leh, Ladakh.
This person in picture is a congress leader. Note the pattern of agitation, demand for statehood and MP seat for muslim majority Kargil even though there is scant population. Congress and @Wangchuk66 are on CIA payrolls.
Same guy
Reason
MODI SARKAR EXPOSES SONAM WANGCHUK & HIS ANTI-NATIONAL ACTIVITIES!
Press Release on Ladakh
A hunger strike was started by Sh Sonam Wangchuk on 10-09-2025 stating the demand of 6th schedule and statehood for Ladakh. It is well known that Government of India has been actively engaged with Apex Body Leh and Kargil Democratic Alliance on same issues. Series of meetings were held with them through formal channel of High-Powered Committee as well as Sub-committee and multiple informal meetings with leaders.
The process of dialogue through this mechanism has yielded phenomenal results by increasing reservations for Ladakh scheduled tribe from 45% to 84%, providing 1/3 women reservations in the councils and declaring Bhoti and Purgi as official languages. With this process for recruitment of 1800 posts was also commenced.
However, certain politically motivated individuals were not happy with the progress made under HPC has been trying to sabotage the dialogue process.
The next meeting of High-Powered Committee has been scheduled on 6th October while meetings are also planned on 25th and 26th September with the leaders from Ladakh.
The demands on which Mr Wangchuk was on hunger strike are integral part of the discussion in HPC. In spite of many leaders urging to call off the hunger strike he continued with the hunger strike and misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal.
On 24th September, at around 11.30 am, a mob instigated by his provocative speeches left the venue of the hunger strike and attacked a political party office as well as Government office of the CEC Leh. They also put these offices on fire, attacked the security personnel, and torched police vehicle. The unruly mob attacked the police personnel in which more than 30 police/CRPF personnel were injured. The mob continued to destroy the public property and attack the police personnel. In self-defence, police had to resort to firing in which unfortunately some casualties are reported.
Barring unfortunate incidents that happened early in the day, the situation is brought under control by 4PM.
It is clear that the mob was incited by Shri Sonam Wangchuk through his provocative statements. Incidentally, amidst these violent developments, he broke his fast and left for his village in an ambulance without making serious efforts to control the situation.
The Government stands committed to the aspiration of people of Ladakh by providing adequate constitutional safeguards.
It is also requested that the people should not circulate the old and provocative videos in the media and social media.
Amit Malviya@amitmalviya·16h
In a dated video, Sonam Wangchuk urged protesters to come masked and hooded, while Smanla Norboo went so far as to threaten the stoning of the BJP office and openly provoked the masses. The so-called youth leaders — Stanzin Chosphel, Jigmet Paljor, and Padma Stanzin — who were instrumental in instigating the mob yesterday, were conspicuously absent today when violence erupted.
Who, then, bears responsibility for the tragic loss of young lives in today’s protest?
What explanation will Sonam Wangchuk give to the grieving parents of these children, who were asked to cloak themselves in masks and hoodies?
What justification will Smanla Norboo offer for fueling an anger that spiraled into deadly violence?
And what accountability will Stanzin Chosphel, Jigmet Paljor, and Padma Stanzin accept for inciting unrest yesterday, only to vanish when lives were lost today?
This is not leadership — it is misguidance. When leaders incite and then retreat, leaving the youth to pay the ultimate price, their silence becomes an indictment in itself.
WATCH VIDEO
sonam wangchuk awards
Year Title
2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award[80]
2018 Honorary D.Litt by Symbiosis International[81]
2018 Eminent Technologist of the Himalayan Region by IIT Mandi[82]
2017 Indians for Collective Action (ICA) Honor Award, San Francisco, CA [83]
2017 GQ Men of the Year Awards, Social Entrepreneur of the Year[84]
2017 Global Award for Sustainable Architecture[85]
2017 State Award for outstanding environmentalist by J&K Govt.[86]
2016 Rolex Award for Enterprise[87]
2016 International Terra Award for best earth building[24]
2014 UNESCO Chair Earthen Architecture, by CRATerre France[88]
2008 Real Heroes Award by CNN-IBN TV[89]
2004 The Green Teacher Award by Sanctuary Asia[90]
2002 Ashoka Fellowship for Social Entrepreneurship, by Ashoka USA[8]
2001 Man of the Year by The Week[91]
1996 Governor's Medal for educational reform in Jammu and Kashmir[92]
What catches the attention that the father of SECMOL founder (point 4) was a Congress politician and retired as Asstt. Director of Intelligence Bureau in 1993.
Awarded Padma Shri and Arjun Awards in 1960s.
Ahem.!
The fascinating aspect of Sonam and his wife Becky’s work is that they have trained many age sets of young people for more than two decades. They chose to believe that children who could not pass their prescribed exams, could still be trained to feel confident about their capabilities and lead healthy normal lives, rather than being described as ‘failures’. Many of them, through activist communitarian training, or practical experience in handicrafts and other skills, did finally pass school, and were even able to go to college in Leh. This could only be made possible by drawing on the voluntary and professional expertise of many people regardless of age and nationality. These workers/executives/ students/ teachers/engineers/ musicians/artists would write to the founders and ask permission to be boarders at the The Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh school (SECMOL school), paying for food and lodging, for the privilege of spending time with young Ladakhis, eager to learn many skills. Often representatives of twenty or more different countries are present as voluntary tutors in SECMOL school. In this environment of mutual learning, they would become witness to many of the dramatic pedagogic and worldview innovations that Sonam and Becky have put in place with their team of dedicated professionals.
This incident happened two weeks back. Daughter-in-law of N.M Vijayan who was the treasuer of Wayanad (Dist. Congress Committee) attempted suicide. N.M Vijayan himself had committed suicide in January this year. The treasuer's suicide and his daughter's attempted suicide were all for financial irregularities. The money to be paid (by N.M Vijayan or the Congress party) is said to be around 2.5 crores. As of today the Congress party has paid 63 lakhs along with an earlier payment of Rs. 30 lakhs, and have now taken a stand that is all what needs to be done. These events were reported in local Malayalam news papers.chetak wrote:is there something going on in wayanad that has been blacked out in the news
Both Pappu and Priyanka have won from Wayanad not because of any personal leadership qualities, but due to the RoP and RoL vote banks. They don't even visit their constituency very often, and if they make a visit that is reported like the English Queen visiting the India ruled by the British Viceroy.some reports say that their eminences have neither interacted with the congi locals, upsetting them greatly and nor with the local press, but have been confabulating with local padres and mullas
It is an encouragement to share information on the maoists & terrorists, or for that matter any "Wanted" person. Government does NOT expect regular armed citizens or vigilantes to do the job of actual capturing. Government agencies want only information, and the rest of the planning and action have to be done by them.ricky_v wrote:re: bounties on maoists or terrorists, so why does the government keep it?
All these are remenants of the Congress rule. If India got a very "nationalistic" government in 1947, many of the L&O problems which we see in India would not have even been started. Various parts of India was let to rot, and people in those areas got frusturated. And this again was exploited by outside agencies. Maoism/Naxalism ensured that in an area full of natural resources no industry could set shop and operate, which also would have benefitted the country. And keeping an area poor & backward is a sure way for the "soul harvesters" to operate and get new "souls". Come to think of it; I feel even some groups of Mumbai mafia actually had Congress backing (and it was one of their ways to generate money and keep people under control).Aditya_V wrote:It seems this Maoism is not an Indigenous Tribal struggle but someone outside who wanted Indians to be fighting Indians getting BIF support.
Sachin wrote: ↑25 Sep 2025 13:38 Six senior hardcore Naxalites with Rs 65L bounty surrender in Gadchiroli.
Looks like the naxals have started seeing a gloomy picture of their future career as terrorists. Liked the fancy "unit" names these terrorists had.
chetak wrote:is there something going on in wayanad that has been blacked out in the news
This incident happened two weeks back. Daughter-in-law of N.M Vijayan who was the treasuer of Wayanad (Dist. Congress Committee) attempted suicide. N.M Vijayan himself had committed suicide in January this year. The treasuer's suicide and his daughter's attempted suicide were all for financial irregularities. The money to be paid (by N.M Vijayan or the Congress party) is said to be around 2.5 crores. As of today the Congress party has paid 63 lakhs along with an earlier payment of Rs. 30 lakhs, and have now taken a stand that is all what needs to be done. These events were reported in local Malayalam news papers.
Both Pappu and Priyanka have won from Wayanad not because of any personal leadership qualities, but due to the RoP and RoL vote banks. They don't even visit their constituency very often, and if they make a visit that is reported like the English Queen visiting the India ruled by the British Viceroy.some reports say that their eminences have neither interacted with the congi locals, upsetting them greatly and nor with the local press, but have been confabulating with local padres and mullas
It is an encouragement to share information on the maoists & terrorists, or for that matter any "Wanted" person. Government does NOT expect regular armed citizens or vigilantes to do the job of actual capturing. Government agencies want only information, and the rest of the planning and action have to be done by them.ricky_v wrote:re: bounties on maoists or terrorists, so why does the government keep it?
All these are remenants of the Congress rule. If India got a very "nationalistic" government in 1947, many of the L&O problems which we see in India would not have even been started. Various parts of India was let to rot, and people in those areas got frusturated. And this again was exploited by outside agencies. Maoism/Naxalism ensured that in an area full of natural resources no industry could set shop and operate, which also would have benefitted the country. And keeping an area poor & backward is a sure way for the "soul harvesters" to operate and get new "souls". Come to think of it; I feel even some groups of Mumbai mafia actually had Congress backing (and it was one of their ways to generate money and keep people under control).Aditya_V wrote:It seems this Maoism is not an Indigenous Tribal struggle but someone outside who wanted Indians to be fighting Indians getting BIF support.
The Other Side of Sonam Wangchuk
While media often portrays Sonam Wangchuk as a visionary education reformist and climate activist, there are aspects of his career and associations that remain under-explored. His journey is filled with foreign connections, generous funding from global foundations, and political patronage that raise legitimate concerns. Unlike the image projected in popular culture, Sonam Wangchuk does not come from a humble background. His father, Sonam Wangyal, was a Congress leader and minister in the Jammu and Kashmir government. Far from being an outsider, Sonam Wangchuk grew up in an influential political household with access to networks of power.
In 1988, Sonam Wangchuk founded the Students Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh, and later Operation New Hope in 1995. These initiatives, while celebrated, were heavily funded by the Ford Foundation, Tata Trusts, Dan Church Aid, and other foreign organizations. This consistent foreign support has led many to question whether his activism is genuinely grassroots or largely donor driven.
A turning point in his life was his marriage to Rebecca Norman in 1996, an American citizen educated at Harvard University and the School for International Training. The School for International Training is an institution with deep ties to the US State Department and is funded by organizations like the Ford Foundation, George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Rebecca Norman’s academic and political leanings, she has been an open supporter of President Joe Biden and critic of Donald Trump, further underline the foreign ideological currents surrounding Sonam Wangchuk’s life.
After this marriage, Sonam Wangchuk’s access to global recognition and foreign grants accelerated. In 2002, he was awarded the Ashoka Fellowship funded by the Skoll and Rockefeller foundations. By 2004, when Manmohan Singh became India’s Prime Minister, Sonam Wangchuk enjoyed unprecedented political patronage. He was appointed to the drafting committee of the Ladakh Vision 2025 document, formally launched by Singh himself in 2005. Later, Sonam Wangchuk served as an education advisor to a Danish NGO, further deepening his international links.
The Congress era proved especially fruitful for Sonam Wangchuk. In 2005, he was inducted into the National Governing Council for Elementary Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development. Around this period, Congress also signed a controversial memorandum of understanding with China, raising suspicions about the party’s approach toward sensitive border regions like Ladakh.
Popular perception of Sonam Wangchuk is shaped by the Bollywood blockbuster “3 Idiots,” where Aamir Khan’s character Rancho was allegedly based on him. However, the truth is less romantic. The film was actually based on Chetan Bhagat’s novel “Five Point Someone,” and only later did a section of the media begin linking the character to Sonam Wangchuk. This narrative helped project him as a genius innovator, but in reality, the connection was tenuous at best.
From 2016 onward, Sonam Wangchuk’s global recognition soared. He won the International Fred M Packard Award in 2016, the TN Khoshoo Memorial Award in 2017, and the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 2018. While these accolades bolstered his reputation, they also highlighted his ties to international organizations often criticized for advancing Western strategic interests in developing nations. The Ford Foundation, which has funded many of the organizations connected to Sonam Wangchuk, has a long history of involvement in India’s political and social movements.
Sonam Wangchuk’s association with NGOs like LEAD India and the International Association for Ladakh Studies, both supported by foreign funding, further raises concerns. His climate project Ice Stupas, while praised abroad, faced criticism from locals who questioned its long-term sustainability.
Sonam Wangchuk initially welcomed the abrogation of Article 370 and Ladakh’s new Union Territory status. But he later criticized the move, demanding statehood and Sixth Schedule protections. This reversal allowed Pakistan to exploit his statements to question India’s policies in Ladakh. His recent calls to halt army infrastructure projects in the region, citing environmental concerns, have also sparked unease, given Ladakh’s sensitive position on the India-China border.
The violence in Leh is a stark reminder of Ladakh’s growing frustration with New Delhi. While the people’s demand for representation and safeguards deserves attention, it is equally important to scrutinize the individuals leading these agitations. Sonam Wangchuk is not just a local activist but a figure with deep foreign ties, political patronage, and shifting positions that raise valid questions. As Ladakh heads into another round of talks with the Centre, the people’s aspirations for dignity and self-rule must be respected. But India must also remain alert to the possibility of external forces and narratives influencing this fragile border region.
The police have launched a major crackdown over yesterday's violence and arson in Ladakh. Around 50 people have been arrested during pre-dawn raids and searches in Leh, after Lt Governor Kavinder Gupta vowed to act against all those involved in Wednesday's violence.
The police have also registered an FIR and charged Congress Councilor Phuntsog Stanzin Tsepag over the violence. However, it's unclear if the Councilor of Leh Hill Council is among those arrested by the police during the recent crackdown.
The Centre, meanwhile, has blamed climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and his provocative speeches that led to the massive violence. At least four protesters were killed while 90 others were injured in the clashes and firing by the security forces.
After the violence, curfew was imposed in Leh district. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police was deployed to maintain law and order, alongside the CRPF and local police. Restrictions have been imposed in Kargil in the wake of a shutdown call for statehood and constitutional safeguards for Ladakh.
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"In spite of many leaders urging Wangchuk to call off the hunger strike, he continued with it, misleading the people through provocative mention of Arab Spring-style protest and references to Gen Z protests in Nepal," said a statement by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
