Sonam Wangchuk loses nearly 9 kg after 18 days of hunger strike; but BJP, Congress largely ignore him
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has lost nearly 9 kg and his blood sugar and blood pressure levels are down. Doctors have advised him against continuing his hunger strike but to no avail
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has entered his 18th day of an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, protesting alleged irregularities in educational exams, and is currently under 24-hour medical supervision due to his declining health, having lost nearly 9 kg, with doctors advising him to cease his protest which he has refused. Despite his precarious condition and calls for educational reform and the resignation of the Education Minister over NEET paper leaks, neither the ruling BJP nor the primary opposition Congress have openly supported Wangchuk's CJP-led protest, with the Centre dismissing the movement as politically motivated and a "B-team of disruptive elements," while Wangchuk urges Prime Minister Modi to adopt a more empathetic approach. Although some Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have shown support, notable opposition figures such as Rahul Gandhi have not, despite their own campaigns related to the issue, though leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mamata Banerjee, along with left parties, have backed Wangchuk's cause, while Akhilesh Yadav has urged him to break his fast.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has entered his 18th day of an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, protesting alleged irregularities in educational exams, and is currently under 24-hour medical supervision due to his declining health, having lost nearly 9 kg, with doctors advising him to cease his protest which he has refused. Despite his precarious condition and calls for educational reform and the resignation of the Education Minister over NEET paper leaks, neither the ruling BJP nor the primary opposition Congress have openly supported Wangchuk's CJP-led protest, with the Centre dismissing the movement as politically motivated and a "B-team of disruptive elements," while Wangchuk urges Prime Minister Modi to adopt a more empathetic approach. Although some Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have shown support, notable opposition figures such as Rahul Gandhi have not, despite their own campaigns related to the issue, though leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mamata Banerjee, along with left parties, have backed Wangchuk's cause, while Akhilesh Yadav has urged him to break his fast.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk has entered his 18th day of an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, protesting alleged irregularities in educational exams, and is currently under 24-hour medical supervision due to his declining health, having lost nearly 9 kg, with doctors advising him to cease his protest which he has refused. Despite his precarious condition and calls for educational reform and the resignation of the Education Minister over NEET paper leaks, neither the ruling BJP nor the primary opposition Congress have openly supported Wangchuk's CJP-led protest, with the Centre dismissing the movement as politically motivated and a "B-team of disruptive elements," while Wangchuk urges Prime Minister Modi to adopt a more empathetic approach. Although some Congress leaders like Shashi Tharoor and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have shown support, notable opposition figures such as Rahul Gandhi have not, despite their own campaigns related to the issue, though leaders like Arvind Kejriwal, Uddhav Thackeray, and Mamata Banerjee, along with left parties, have backed Wangchuk's cause, while Akhilesh Yadav has urged him to break his fast.
Activist Sonam Wangchuk is under 24-hour medical supervision as his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar crossed 18 days. He has reportedly lost nearly 9 kg and his blood sugar and blood pressure levels are down. Doctors have advised Wangchuk against continuing his hunger strike but to no avail. While his health is a cause of concern, neither the BJP nor the Congress came forward to support him or the CJP protest seeking educational reforms.
"I'm weak from the outside, but I'm strong from inside," Wangchuk told the BBC on Monday.
Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan dismissed CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, Wangchuk and others as "B-team of disruptive elements" after they called for his resignation over NEET paper leaks and irregularities. Interestingly, the CJP has invited BJP leaders to join its protest, including senior leaders like BJP president Nitin Nabin and his predecessor J.P Nadda.
Amid Centre's refusal to address the demands of the protesters, Wangchuk, in an interview with The Indian Express, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be "sensitive, not rigid". "A democracy is run through empathy and compassion, not through rigidity," he said.
Dipke has accused the Centre of being "cruel" for refusing to engage in dialogue with the protesters. "Day 18 of Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. The man who chose to put his own life on the line to seek justice for students who died by suicide has received nothing but silence from the government. The government is not just unaccountable; it is also cruel," Dipke posted on X.
While Wangchuk insists that the CJP protest has no political colours, the Centre largely views the movement as politically driven and that it is being used by opposition parties to create political instability. The BJP has stood firmly by Pradhan, refusing to yield to public pressure.
On the other hand, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was also among notable opposition leaders who has not extended support to the protest. In an interview with The Indian Express, Wangchuk said if leaders like Rahul and Samjwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav do not come forward to support them, "it will only reflect their narrow-mindedness, and the public will eventually reject them." However, Akhilesh has urged Wangchuk to break his fast and dispatched SP MP Priya Saroj to meet him.
Rahul, meanwhile, has been busy with his own Chhatron ki Goonj campaign wherein he has been demanding Pradhan's resignation. However, a couple of Congress leaders, including Shashi Tharoor and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have backed the Wangchuk-led protest.
Meanwhile, several key opposition leaders do not have the same attitude towards CJP or Wangchuk. Among opposition leaders who have extended support to Wangchuk include AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, NCP(SP) leader Rohit Pawar and more. Left parties CPI(M) and CPI also backed the protests, with former Kerala ministers visiting Wangchuk.