New Delhi: Congress Friday expressed solidarity with activist Sonam Wangchuk and other members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protesting at Jantar Mantar here over alleged examination irregularities and reminded the government of its “Raj Dharma”.
Congress leader Pawan Khera met Wangchuk and other CJP members at the protest site and said it is the government’s duty to listen to citizens when they protest.
Hitting out at the government, Khera said that its callous attitude in not hearing out Wangchuk and the protesting youths displays an arrogance unworthy of a democracy.
“Today, on behalf of the Congress Party, I met Shri Sonam Wangchuk and the protesters at Jantar Mantar, and urged them to end their fast in light of their deteriorating health. A movement is not strengthened by losing its people. We live to fight another day,” Khera said in a post on X.
He said that in a democracy, peaceful protest is a constitutional right.
“When citizens undertake a fast to be heard, the government’s duty is to listen, not look away. That is Raj Dharma,” Khera said, adding, “That is what Indira Gandhi Ji did in 1984. That is what Dr Manmohan Singh’s government did in 2011. They understood that a government’s first responsibility is engagement, even in disagreement.”
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The Congress leader said that the current government has, however, chosen indifference.
It has refused to engage with the demand for education reforms, whether raised by the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) and IYC (Indian Youth Congress) workers across the country or the protesters at Jantar Mantar, he said.
“Such indifference is not merely arrogant; it is callous and wholly unworthy of a democracy,” Khera said.
The Cockroach Janata Party has been holding a protest for over 28 days demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET-UG examination.
Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite fast since then.
The Congress has already urged Wangchuk to end his hunger fast, saying they were concerned about his health.
Khera’s visit comes a day after former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party leader Dimple Yadav met Wangchuk and others at Jantar Mantar.
Yadav had urged the Centre to initiate dialogue with Wangchuk and address the demands raised by the CJP. She accused the BJP-led Union government of remaining unmoved despite the ongoing hunger strike and student deaths related to the alleged NEET paper leak.
On Thursday, Congress general secretary K C Venugopal said the party has been demanding Pradhan’s resignation for over a month.
“We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi government for the collapse of the examination system in particular.
“In view of his health condition, we appeal to Shri Wangchuk to end his fast. His concerns are our concerns and those of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation,” Venugopal had said on X.
