Sonam Wangchuk has ended her indefinite hunger strike after receiving written assurance from the government and the support of 65 MPs. At the same time, Cockroach Janata Party said that their agitation will continue till the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
New Delhi [भारत]July 24 (ANI): Sonam Wangchuk has ended her indefinite hunger strike after getting written confirmation from the government and the support of around 65 MPs regarding educational reforms, his wife Gitanjali Angmo said on Friday.
Speaking to reporters, Gitanjali Angmo highlighted that MPs have pledged support for legislative accountability and noted that both the government and the opposition have committed to taking up systemic education reforms during the current monsoon session. He said, “At midnight, we received written confirmation from the government of acceptance of our demands of not registering any FIR against student protesters, compensation to NEET victims and discussion on educational reforms in Parliament. On behalf of the government, JP Nadda ji and Jitendra Singh had come here yesterday. Earlier, 16 MPs had come here, and 65 MPs from the opposition have given written assurance that the issue will be discussed in Parliament.”
Emphasizing that the examination irregularities have exposed deep systemic flaws, Gitanjali Angmo declared that the movement has achieved its main objectives after the written guarantee and appeal to the MPs. Gitanjali Angmo said that widespread public participation during the recent demonstrations exposed deep systemic flaws, leading to parliamentary debates and formal commitments to end the protest fast, and described it as a successful movement.
He further said, “The government and the opposition have decided that education reforms will be discussed in this monsoon session. This has woken up the entire country. The NEET paper leak was a symptom, but its causes lie in the system.” Geetanjali Angmo said, “We hope this will be a wake-up call for the government. It has been a successful movement, and that is why Sonam ended her fast. From tomorrow, she will start taking semi-solid diet.”
Cockroach Janata Party movement will continue
Meanwhile, Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke, following social activist Sonam Wangchuk’s decision to end her 26-day hunger strike, asserted that the party’s agitation will continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns from his post. Speaking to reporters, Dipke expressed relief over Wangchuk’s health, but remained firm on the movement’s primary demand of accountability for exam irregularities. Dipke told reporters, “Our protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns. We are very happy and relieved that Sonam sir has ended her hunger strike, as it was going on for more than 26 days. Her life is extremely precious for this country.”
Reiterating the party’s stand on talks with the Centre, the CJP leader stressed that any talks should be held at a neutral venue. He said, “Our protest will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan steps down. Any meeting should be held at a neutral place or venue. Nothing less than Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation will be accepted.”
Meanwhile, another representative of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), Ashutosh Ranka, also said that the ongoing protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan tenders his resignation. Addressing the media, the CJP representative shared the schedule of high-level deliberations and upcoming media briefings related to the ongoing protests. “There is a meeting with JP Nadda ji at CCI at 12:30 pm. As far as we are told, Jitendra Singh ji may also be present there. Whatever will be discussed will be shared with all of you. We have also organized a press conference at 11:00 pm, where we will provide more details,” he told reporters.
Ranka confirmed that the hunger strike led by Sonam has ended after some government assurances, but the main objective of the movement remains the removal of the minister. Commenting on a video released earlier by the Prime Minister, Ranka said the government was feeling the pressure of public anger and demanded immediate action. He said, “Finally, we saw that for the first time, the Prime Minister had to release a selfie video at 12 midnight, which shows that the pressure is very high. Prime Minister, you said that today you want to take very strict action; the strictest action for us would be to remove Dharmendra Pradhan. If you remove him quickly, we will believe that you are really serious about the youth of this country.”
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Deepak Balyan also announced that the ongoing protests will continue without any interruption until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns from his post. He dismissed government assurances about fast-track courts as inadequate and said the youth of this country have woken up and will not be fooled. Outlining the basic stand of the movement, the CJP spokesperson said, “CJP’s clarion call is that this protest will continue indefinitely until Dharmendra Pradhan (Union Education Minister) resigns. PM Modi says cases will be heard in fast-track courts, but those are just words; we don’t trust them because the youth have been cheated many times before. The youth feel cheated and upset.” (ANI)
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