Congress on Thursday appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike, saying “his concerns are our concerns”, while reiterating its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.
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Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal said Wangchuk had been on a hunger strike for 19 days demanding Pradhan’s resignation and noted that the party had been making the same demand for over a month and a half.
“We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi Govt, for the collapse of the examination system in particular,” Venugopal said in a post on X.
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Appealing to Wangchuk to call off his fast, Venugopal said his health had become a matter of concern.
“In view of his health condition, we appeal to Shri Wangchuk to end his fast. His concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation,” he said.
Congress reiterates demand
Speaking at a press conference earlier in the day, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh said the party had been demanding Pradhan’s resignation for the past two months.
He said several others had also sought the minister’s resignation. Ramesh added that Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi had raised the demand in Kota on June 17 and would do so again during his interaction with students in Dehradun on Friday.
Wangchuk completed the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, with doctors saying he had lost more than nine kilograms and entered a critical stage. They warned that the prolonged fast could begin affecting his organs.
In a video message released late Wednesday night, Wangchuk ruled out ending his fast despite appeals from political leaders and supporters. He said ending the protest without any response from the government would send the wrong message.
Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20.
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Support for Wangchuk’s agitation continued to grow. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait announced he would visit him at Jantar Mantar on Thursday evening. Music composer Vishal Dadlani, actor Sayaji Shinde and author Shobhaa De also appealed to the government to engage in dialogue with the activist and expressed concern over his deteriorating health.
Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court directed the authorities to monitor Wangchuk’s health every day and provide medical intervention whenever required, observing that “the life of any citizen is precious”. The Centre and the Delhi government told the court they had no objection to regular medical monitoring.
The Cockroach Janta Party has been protesting at Jantar Mantar, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. The party has also called for a Parliament march on July 20, the opening day of the Monsoon Session.
(With inputs from agencies)
