Sonam Wangchuk’s Fast: No Call for Dharmendra Pradhan’s Resignation Among His End‑Strike Conditions

On Monday, the climate‑engineer‑turned‑activist Sonam Wangchuk took to social media with a simple, handwritten note that laid out exactly when he would call off his hunger strike. The tone was earnest, almost as if he were talking to a friend, and the list was short: three clear conditions that, if met, would see him step away from the fast.

First, the government must own up to what Wangchuk calls the "recent failures in the education system" – a polite way of pointing to the spate of question‑paper leaks that have rattled students across the country. Second, the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) and Wangchuk want a seat at the parliamentary table; they’d like MPs and leaders from a range of parties to assure them that the issues they’ve raised will be debated when the Monsoon Session kicks off. Third, if his health were to falter – or any other circumstance kept him from joining the planned “Sansad Chalo” march – he expects a delegation of parliamentarians to visit him in hospital and give the same promise.

What struck many observers was what wasn’t on the paper. For three weeks the CJP has been hammering the administration for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, linking his name to alleged irregularities in competitive exams. Yet Wangchuk’s note makes no mention of Pradhan at all. It’s as if the activist is separating his personal fast from the broader political agenda his party has been pushing.

Meanwhile, the larger protest movement kept humming. Thousands braved rain and a heavy police presence at Jantar Mantar, where Delhi police had sealed off roads, closed nearby metro stations and invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita to maintain order. The CJP’s “Sansad Chalo” march is slated to coincide with the opening day of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, a symbolic gesture aimed at forcing the legislature to hear their grievances.

In a parallel development, three young activists from the All India Students’ Association – Neha, Manish and Aameen – ended their own 23‑day hunger strike after a delegation of parliamentarians, civil‑society figures and eminent personalities urged them to shift tactics from fasting to campaigning inside the house. Their decision underscores a growing sentiment among protestors: the real battle now seems to be fought in the corridors of power, not on the streets.

Wangchuk wrapped up his note by reminding readers that “my freedom of movement, speech, and all communication are restricted at the illegal detention.” Whether his three conditions will be met remains to be seen, but one thing is clear – the focus is shifting from individual resignations to systemic accountability.