Next Protest on Cards? Sonam Wangchuk Calls for Peaceful Revolution to Replace Corrupt Politicians with Principled Leaders, Check

Sonam Wangchuk:Activist Sonam Wangchuk on Thursday called for a “peaceful revolution” in the way India chooses its political leaders, saying the country needs sweeping change if it hopes to remain globally competitive by 2047. In a video message posted ahead of Independence Day, Wangchuk said he had spent recent days unwell and reflecting on the nation’s direction.

“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.”

He said the real failure lay in how leaders are chosen in the first place, adding that until that changes, the country will keep heading down the wrong path.

Corruption “2-3 Times Bigger” Than Before

Wangchuk referenced the 2012-13 anti-corruption movement, noting that the change in government it brought about failed to end graft. Twelve years on, he said, corruption and injustice have resurfaced in a bigger, more brazen form. He also pointed out that nearly half of India’s sitting MPs face criminal cases, stressing this was not confined to any single political party.

A Call For India’s “2nd Independence Movement”

Sonam Wangchuk: Comparing India’s per capita GDP trajectory unfavourably with Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, Wangchuk warned the country could fall further behind by 2047 without reform. He urged citizens to nominate “selfless, fearless men and women of character” to help shape a national conversation on leadership, framing the effort as India’s “2nd Independence movement” and asking supporters to translate and spread the message in regional languages.

The appeal comes as Wangchuk remains a contested figure, with his earlier Ladakh statehood agitation having turned violent and his detention case still pending before the Supreme Court.