Climate activist Sonam Wangchuk continued his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Saturday, entering the seventh day of his protest, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) claiming that his health is rapidly deteriorating and that he has lost five kilograms since beginning the fast.
The CJP has reiterated its demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged examination irregularities, including issues linked to major national entrance tests.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said on X that Wangchuk’s condition was worsening with each passing day and questioned why the minister had not been removed from office.
“Sonam Sir has lost 5 kg, and his health is deteriorating with each passing day. How much longer will the Prime Minister wait before sacking Dharmendra Pradhan?” Dipke said.
“Why is Dharmendra Pradhan so important to PM Modi that, despite the deaths of 20 students, he still refuses to remove him?” he added.
In another post, Dipke warned that the government would be responsible if anything happened to Wangchuk during the protest.
“If the government doesn't act fast and take action against Pradhan, it will be responsible if anything happens to Sonam Sir. Despite his rapidly deteriorating health, he has made it clear that he will not end his hunger strike until action is taken,” he said.
Dipke also shared a satirical cartoon showing a man attempting to eat papers labelled “Exam Paper” while being restrained by two cockroaches, captioned: “Go back Dharmendra Pradhan.”
In a separate post late Friday, Wangchuk acknowledged progress in talks between the Centre and Ladakh representatives over regional demands and urged the government to now focus on accountability in education.
“Thank you government for steps taken today to resolve the Ladakh issue, now please pay attention to accountability in education,” he said.
His remarks came after representatives of the Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) said they had resolved differences with the Ministry of Home Affairs over the minutes of an earlier meeting, clearing the way for the next round of formal negotiations on Ladakh’s proposed governance framework.
The LAB and KDA leaders also credited Wangchuk’s fast for helping break the stalemate with the Centre.
Meanwhile, six students associated with the All India Students’ Association (AISA) continued their separate hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, which entered its 15th day on Saturday.
The protest has drawn support from several political leaders and civil society figures, including CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby, CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, CPI general secretary D Raja, CPI(ML) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, social activist Yogendra Yadav, Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, CPI leader Annie Raja, transparency activist Anjali Bhardwaj, RTI activist Nikhil Dey, and TMC MPs Sagarika Ghose and Mahua Moitra.
The CJP protest, which began on June 20, is focused on alleged irregularities in several national examinations, including NEET, the medical entrance test.
(With inputs from PTI)