Congress MP Pawan Khera meets Sonam Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar

Congress leader Pawan Khera on Friday met education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk and others protesting at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination and expressed support for their demands.

The protests have been organised by members of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP). CJP has been staging a sit-in for more than 25 days, seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the alleged examination paper leak and other irregularities.

Wangchuk joined the protest on 28 June and has remained on an indefinite hunger strike since then.

Khera's visit came a day after former Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav met Wangchuk and the protesters at the demonstration site.

During her visit, Yadav urged the Centre to open talks with Wangchuk and address the concerns raised by the protesters. She also criticised the BJP-led Union government for failing to respond despite the continuing hunger strike and allegations surrounding the NEET examination.

The Congress has already appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, citing concerns over his health, while reiterating its demand for the resignation of the education minister.

On Thursday, Congress general secretary K.C. Venugopal said the party had been demanding Pradhan's resignation for more than a month, holding the government accountable for what it described as the breakdown of the examination system.

Venugopal also appealed to Wangchuk to call off his hunger strike in view of his deteriorating health, while assuring him that the Congress and other Opposition parties would continue to raise the issue and press the government for accountability.

With PTI inputs