Appealing to supporters to join the planned 'Chalo Sansad' march instead of urging him to end his fast, Sonam Wangchuk said he was "not in good shape but not so bad either" as political support for his hunger strike grew on its 18th day.
MPs across party lines visited Jantar Mantar, while Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke accused the Centre of being "cruel" for refusing to engage with the activist.
Notably, the CJP's protest over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination entered its 26th day, while the outfit announced a one-day mass hunger strike on Thursday ahead of the July 20 march to Parliament.
In a post on X, Wangchuk shared a video from the protest site, writing: "I’m Not in good shape but not so bad either... Rather than asking me to break my fast please join me on 20th July... Peaceful March to the Parliament."
According to a medical bulletin issued by the CJP, Wangchuk remains "very weak" and is under 24-hour medical supervision.
His weight has fallen to 57.15 kg, a drop of 400 grams in the past 24 hours and 8.9 kg since he began his hunger strike. His blood pressure was recorded at 105/76, blood sugar at 80 mg/dL, oxygen saturation at 97%, while hydration was described as fair.
Doctors said he is conscious and mentally alert but requires continuous monitoring.
"Day 18 of Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike. The man who chose to put his own life on the line to seek justice for students who died by suicide has received nothing but silence from the government. The government is not just unaccountable; it is also cruel," Dipke said in a post on X.
The CJP founder said the questions that deserved answers were why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was refusing to engage in dialogue and why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had still not been held accountable.
"Instead of asking why opposition leaders haven't supported CJP, or why every CJP team member isn't on a hunger strike alongside Sonam sir, ask the questions that actually matter. Why is the Prime Minister refusing to engage in a dialogue? Why is the Education Minister still not being held accountable?" he said.
Support for the agitation gathered momentum through the day, with Bhim Army chief and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad, Samajwadi Party MPs Mohibbullah Naqvi and Ajendra Singh Lodhi, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen, Congress Lok Sabha MP Prashant Yadaorao Padole, and CPI Rajya Sabha MP Sandosh Kumar visiting the protest site.
According to the CJP, the MPs assured protesters that their concerns would be raised during the Monsoon Session of Parliament as well as at the all-party meeting on July 19.
Addressing the gathering, Chandrashekhar Azad extended support for the Parliament march and called on students and young people across the country to join the movement.
"How long can this dictatorship continue? Why are the prime minister, home minister, and education minister refusing to listen? Is this government waiting for Sonam Wangchuk to die? I salute his courage. If anything happens to him, the government will be responsible," Azad said.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen said she had come on behalf of party chief Mamata Banerjee. "I was with Mamata Banerjee when she sat on a 26-day fast in 2006. I know how difficult it is," Sen said.
Comedian Kunal Kamra also visited the protest site.
CJP spokesperson Ashutosh Ranka claimed Jantar Mantar was packed with supporters and said: "A tsunami is coming. Time's running out for this government."
At another site, All India Students' Association (AISA) leaders Neha, Manish and Aameen continued their hunger strike despite deteriorating health.
The Left-backed organisation said a delegation comprising academics Nivedita Menon, Aditya Nigam, Anuradha Chenoy and Radha Kumar visited the students. It added that Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj, MLA Atul Pradhan and MLC Man Singh Yadav had extended support and urged people to join the Parliament march.
On Tuesday, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, while veteran actor Zeenat Aman urged the government to initiate dialogue with the activist.
Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela and actor Swara Bhaskar were among those who visited the protest site on Tuesday to express solidarity with Wangchuk and the CJP protesters.
The CJP also thanked Congress MP Shashi Tharoor for supporting the agitation and appealed to supporters to change their display pictures on social media as a mark of solidarity with Wangchuk.
The organisation claimed that more than 1.3 lakh people had registered support through its missed-call campaign for the proposed Parliament march on July 20.
(With inputs from PTI)