Support grows for Sonam Wangchuk as Congress, Raj Thackeray target Centre

Support for climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike over the alleged NEET examination irregularities grew on Thursday, with the Congress urging him to end his fast due to deteriorating health, while Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray criticised the Centre for ignoring the protest and called for action on the examination crisis.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike since 28 June, with his fast entering its 19th day on Thursday. He joined an ongoing protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar organised by the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP), which has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET). The protest itself has continued for more than 25 days.

Congress urges Wangchuk to end fast

Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal appealed to Wangchuk to end his hunger strike in view of his health while assuring him that the party would continue to press for Pradhan's resignation.

"His concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well," Venugopal said in a post on X.

He said the Congress had been demanding the Education Minister's resignation for over six weeks and shared Wangchuk's concerns over what he described as the government's failure to ensure accountability for the collapse of the examination system.

"Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister's resignation," Venugopal said.

Delhi HC orders medical monitoring

The Congress statement came shortly after the Delhi High Court directed the Centre and the Delhi government to ensure Wangchuk's health is monitored daily.

The court ordered that his medical condition be assessed "clinically and otherwise" every day and directed authorities to provide any medical intervention required in view of his deteriorating health.

The Bench observed that "the life of any citizen is precious and efforts ought to be made by the government authorities to save the same" before disposing of the public interest litigation.

Raj Thackeray attacks Centre

Backing Wangchuk's agitation, MNS chief Raj Thackeray accused the BJP-led Central government of ignoring a legitimate public movement while prioritising political interests.

Expressing concern over Wangchuk's health, Thackeray alleged that the government was undermining democratic dissent.

"It feels utterly awful to say that the government has decided to sacrifice Sonam Wangchuk -- and by extension, a movement that represents a voice for this country," he said in a post on X.

He also criticised the mainstream media for allegedly failing to question the government and accused it of targeting dissenting voices.

Questions BJP's changing stance

Thackeray also referred to the BJP's earlier association with Wangchuk, noting that the activist had been invited to the 2018 Re-Invest Conference for his work on renewable energy.

He said Wangchuk had initially welcomed Ladakh's Union Territory status but later became critical after, according to Thackeray, the Centre failed to fulfil assurances relating to statehood, parliamentary representation and protection of local land rights.

Links protest to examination controversies

Thackeray defended Wangchuk's demand for greater transparency in competitive examinations and reiterated the call for Pradhan's resignation.

He alleged that the country had witnessed a series of examination scandals, ranging from the Vyapam recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh to recent paper leaks in national entrance and recruitment examinations.

Calling on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to address the issue, Thackeray said the controversy should not be viewed through a political lens.

"This isn't a political issue. This is a social one," he said, adding that lakhs of NEET aspirants and their families had suffered irrespective of their political affiliations.