Summary: The All Ladakh Liquor Traders Association has accused Sonam Wangchuk of double standards over alcohol. It says Wangchuk backed a dry Ladakh while promoting tax-exempt microbreweries, and the traders say the liquor trade is licensed and run by people of all faiths. They point to the homemade wine from Ule Topo, Wangchuk's native village, and demand a financial impact assessment before any decision. The administration has called Wangchuk's claims baseless.
Why it matters: The dispute exposes the gap between what activists preach and how they act, a double standard ordinary citizens should watch for, especially in celebrity activists amplified by left-liberal media.
“Ladakh Bar Owners Expose Wangchuk’s Double Standards: ‘Tax-Exempt Microbreweries For Me, Prohibition For Thee’” — The Pamphlet, 31 Oct 2026
Sonam Wangchuk sat with women demanding a dry Ladakh on 28 October. On the same visit, he pitched tax-exempt breweries.
That contradiction is now at the heart of a sharp counter-attack from the All Ladakh Liquor Traders Association, which has accused the climate activist of double standards on alcohol.
At NDS Memorial Park in Leh, where women from religious organisations had been on dharna for seven days, Wangchuk called Ladakh’s traditional brews part of its heritage and a “healthier” option worth promoting. He urged the administration to help local youth set up modern microbreweries using local wheat, with tax exemptions. Shop-sold liquor, he said, should be priced high enough to put people off. He called it a “middle way”…
Read the full article at The Pamphlet →
