ISLAMABAD: Indian opposition leaders and public figures are calling on their government to open talks with activist Sonam Wangchuk, whose indefinite hunger strike to demand accountability and the resignation of India's Education Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, over irregularities in national entrance examinations, entered its 19th day, with supporters warning of his worsening health.
Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakhi engineer-turned-activist – whose life inspired a character in the Bollywood film 3 Idiots – is on an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, and doctors say he has entered a critical phase, having lost more than 9 kg with warnings of possible organ damage, according to Indian media reports.
Comedian Vir Das appealed directly to the government, saying a citizen on a prolonged hunger strike deserved dialogue regardless of political differences.
"I'd like to believe a citizen on a 16-day hunger strike warrants a conversation with the government whose actions brought him to that place," Das wrote on X. "I don't see why a mere dialogue is this hard."
Calling himself "naive, simplistic, or ignorant" if necessary, Das said “as a citizen, I don’t pretend to understand any sort of political manoeuvring,” but "I see students crying for help" and urged the government to engage with Wangchuk.
Wangchuk began fasting on June 28 in solidarity with the youth-led Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) whose founder Abhijeet Dipke and other members have been staging a sit-in at Jantar Mantar for nearly a month to demand the resignation of Pradhan over the paper-leak scandal that hit the university entrance tests in May.
Support also came from opposition leaders.
Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray also criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government, saying its response demonstrated "absolutely no concern for young India."
Thackeray said the protesters' primary demand was accountability for the paper leak controversy, adding that Pradhan should be removed from office.
“Even after such a serious incident as the paper leak in the entrance exams for medical colleges, such an incompetent central minister would not have remained in office in any country,” he said.
“One thing, however, is clear: there is a need for all of us to come together against this insensitive and corrupt BJP government,” he added.
Congress spokesperson Anish Gawande called it a "moral duty" to stand with Wangchuk and Abhijeet Dipke along with the protesters gathered at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar, saying public pressure must continue "till this government is forced to listen."
Popular Marathi actor Sayaji Shinde also urged the Government to engage in dialogue with Wangchu.
History is repeating itself
This is not the first time an activist's hunger strike has become the last resort for a demand the Indian government won't engage with.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee drew comparisons with the late environmental activist Professor G.D. Agarwal, also known as Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, who died in 2018 after a 111-day hunger strike demanding a free-flowing and cleaner Ganges River.
For nearly four months, he survived on little more than honey and water. A Right to Information request later showed the Prime Minister's Office had not responded to him at all in the two months before his death. Modi's condolence tweet came only after Agrawal had died.
In a video posted on X, YouTuber Rathee said he feared Wangchuk's protest could end the same way if the government continued to ignore calls for dialogue.
“The truth is, friends, that it doesn't matter to Narendra Modi. He is such a useless government. He is such a useless Prime Minister,” he said.
Recalling the scams surrounding the Ram Mandir and “the ethanol issue,” Rathee said the country “has never seen a prime minister more selfish and unaccountable than him” and that he doesn't care whether the education system is clean.
Thackeray also added that,”Whether it's the paper leak, the ethanol issue, or the temple matter... the BJP has just one policy: to create divisions among the people and preserve its own power”.
YouTuber Rathee urged opposition parties and the public to join a planned march on July 20, saying the issue had grown beyond a single individual and reflected broader public concerns.
Demonstrators continue their demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding dialogue before the activist's condition deteriorates further.
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