New Delhi: Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk Sunday began an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar Sunday, joining the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protest that has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in examinations.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the protest, which began June 20 amid the NEET paper leak row and other exam controversies, would not remain confined to education-related issues and that the platform would also raise other matters concerning accountability, including those related to the electoral system.
Addressing the protesters, Dipke asked them not to turn the agitation into a personality-centric movement after some participants raised slogans hailing him.
Why do we make one person bigger than the issue in our country? We have made one person bigger than all issues, institutions and even faith. This is your responsibility. Never make anyone bigger than the issue, he said.
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He said people should not view the protest as being limited to a single issue. People are assuming this is only an NEET issue, education… I must tell you this is just the beginning. We will also come to the election (issues), he said, drawing cheers from the gathering.
Dipke also referred to electoral issues, including the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and said the movement would continue to raise concerns beyond the immediate demands of the protest.
Whether we contest elections or not, we will work to reform the election system. What is happening now — vote deletion — there will be no need for EVMs, he said.
The protest saw participation from students, civil society members and farmer leaders, with the crowd swelling to thousands by the evening.
Six students also joined the hunger strike in solidarity with Wangchuk’s call. They were sitting on a separate stage at the protest venue and not on the main platform.
The students included Neha, AISA All India President; Danish, JNUSU Joint Secretary; Manish, AISA Uttar Pradesh President; Deepak, AISA Delhi University Vice President; Hrishikesh, President of Barak Hostel, JNU; and Aameen, former CC member of AUD Students Council.
Before sitting on the fast, Wangchuk, along with Dipke, visited Rajghat and paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. The protest began with the gathering observing a two-minute silence.
Explaining his decision to join the agitation, Wangchuk said education had been close to his heart for the last four decades and he could not remain silent when students raised concerns over the system.
Education and environment are my issues, truth and peace are my path, justice is my destination, Wangchuk, 59, said.
The activist said he had been associated with the movement in Ladakh for the last five-six years for environmental protection and cultural preservation, adding that accountability was needed on both education and environmental issues.
I am sitting here with both these issues, he said.
When there is no accountability, even when there is a dialogue, we are forced to take the only way possible in a democracy — peaceful protest, and we will do that, Wangchuk said.
He urged the government to show sensitivity, saying the situation could have been avoided if concerns were addressed.
Wangchuk also praised the protesters for continuing the agitation despite the heat, and appealed to people to make it a community hunger strike by observing at least a day-long fast.
The protest also saw the participation of the family of Amaira, a Class 6 student who died last year after falling from the fourth floor of Neerja Modi School in Jaipur in an alleged suicide case. The family joined the agitation seeking justice for their daughter.
Amaira’s parents alleged that no action had been taken against the school or teacher and that police had not filed a chargesheet so far.
Dipke said the incident needed to remain in public memory, alleging that the police and school had tried to suppress the matter when it happened.
Amaira’s parents pay Rs 1-2 lakh as income tax, yet they have to be here begging for justice in this heat. What is our worth he said.
Representatives of the Sarv Khap Panchayat also joined the protest. Khap representatives tied a pagdi on Dipke, with coordinator Omprakash Dhankar saying the gesture represented a responsibility being handed over to him.
This pagdi is a responsibility. With this, we are handing over the responsibility to him, Dhankar said.
The khap representatives alleged that around 500 farmer leaders and members of organisations had been stopped from coming to Delhi. Dipke earlier said on X that several farmers’ leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab were being placed under house arrest to prevent them from reaching Jantar Mantar.
Farmer leader Akshay Kumar from Odisha, the home state of Pradhan, said the minister would face political consequences if he did not resign.
If Pradhan does not resign, he will be defeated in the next polls, he said.
Farmer leader Attar Singh Kadian criticised the government, saying it was not capable of running the government and should step down.
Dhankar also accused the BJP of coming to power by making promises, which have not been fulfilled.
