Activist Sonam Wangchuk, the face of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)-led protest against leaks of question papers of competitive exams, ended his 26-day hunger strike last night in the presence of Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. Wangchuk said the government had assured him that the paper leak issue would be taken up in Parliament, and compensation would be given to families of students who died by suicide following mental agony due to cancellations of exams after paper leaks.
The CJP, however, made it clear this morning that their stand on demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation remains unchanged as they go into a second round of talks with the government amid the protest.
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The big question then is: have differences cropped up between Wangchuk and the CJP over the direction of the protest, which has now reached beyond the confines of Delhi’s Jantar Mantar into several cities across the country?
CJP leader Saurav Das told The Indian Express that there are no differences between them and Wangchuk. “We want Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation and the larger issues of students, including a compensation of Rs 1 crore for families, must be addressed. If we have started (something), we will go till the end. We are concerned about his (Wangchuk) health. He has lost 11 kg. He wrote a letter, and that is his opinion. We won’t let his efforts go to waste. We will make this (movement) reach its conclusion.” CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke, too, made it clear in his address to the gathering at Jantar Mantar on Friday morning that the demand for Pradhan’s resignation stands.
Besides Wangchuk’s decision to end his fast, another key development took place on Thursday night. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a video message, assured the nation that the cabinet was prepping a new law to tackle paper leaks. Despite the developments, CJP leaders have not budged from their demand for Pradhan’s exit.
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Sonam Wangchuk ended his hunger strike in the presence of ministers last night
On Gitanjali Angmo’s remarks on Rahul Gandhi
Das also responded to a question on Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali J Angmo criticising Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha. Angmo, an educator, has said Gandhi shouldn’t have staged the demonstration outside the Prime Minister’s residence on Wednesday and should have joined the protest at Jantar Mantar instead.
“Everyone has their individual opinions. The protest by Rahul Gandhi, as long as it is peaceful, I support it. Because it is under the Constitution. There are restrictions at Jantar Mantar too. All of this violates the Constitution because it gives us the right to protest peacefully. Rahul Gandhi did well, and it is his responsibility to lead protests as the Leader of the Opposition,” said Das, CJP’s spokesperson.
On Congress’s top leadership staying away from the Jantar Mantar gathering, Das said: “We don’t want to get into all this. We are running a movement on the path of truth. We are clean, and have fresh ideas. Lakhs have joined us across the country. Who takes credit, who comes, is not our concern. We have called everyone. We wrote to Rahul Gandhi too. He didn’t come, and that is his choice. Several top leaders have come. Everyone should come and stand in solidarity with students… we don’t mind who takes credit.” He said anyone speaking up for students is great.
How is Dipke doing
Asked about Dipke’s health condition now, Das said: “He is fine now. He was quite unwell, and had to be taken to a doctor. He got an injection. He is resting. He had (a bout of) food poisoning. The movement has been going on for a while, and everyone has been falling sick. Ashutosh is also fine.”