Don’t Ask Me To End Fast, Join July 20 March Instead: Wangchuk
"If I eat, what message will go?" Sonam Wangchuk asked. "The message to the government will be that there is no need for accountability. Protesters sit and leave."
Climate activist and education reform advocate Sonam Wangchuk has said he will continue his indefinite hunger strike despite growing appeals from supporters, political leaders and well-wishers to end the protest, maintaining that calling it off without a concrete response from the government would defeat its purpose.
In a video message released late Wednesday, marking the 18th day of his fast, Wangchuk acknowledged the concern expressed for his health but insisted that his protest would continue until the authorities demonstrated meaningful accountability.
“If I eat, what message will go?” Wangchuk asked. “The message to the government will be that there is no need for accountability. Protesters sit and leave.”
He said ending the fast without any assurance or action from the government would weaken the larger objective of the agitation and send the wrong signal about the effectiveness of peaceful democratic protests.
According to Wangchuk, thousands of people have reached out to him over the past several days, requesting that he end the hunger strike. He said several political leaders had also met him personally to express concern about his health and urge him to resume eating.
The activist further revealed that some supporters had approached the courts seeking directions to ensure he discontinued the fast.
Responding to concerns over his physical condition, Wangchuk said regular medical examinations suggested that he remained stable despite nearly three weeks without food.
“My condition is not such that I will die in two or four days,” he said. “Many medical tests have been conducted, and the results are quite normal for an 18-day fast. An ECG was also done, and it is not bad. I can continue for many more days.”
He admitted that the prolonged fast had taken a physical toll.
“I do feel weak. My muscle strength has reduced,” he said, adding that doctors had found his heart and other vital parameters to be functioning normally.
Rather than urging him to end the protest, Wangchuk appealed to supporters to strengthen the movement by participating in the proposed “Chalo Sansad” march to Parliament on July 20.
He described the march as an opportunity to place the issue before the country’s lawmakers and urged citizens from across India to gather in large numbers.
“Come in thousands on July 20,” he said. “Together, we will hand over this issue to Parliament. Then I will believe that it has gone into the right hands.”
Wangchuk also appealed to educational institutions to encourage students to observe the demonstration as part of civic learning.
“I request all schools, colleges and universities to observe July 20 as a day of experiential education under the National Education Policy,” he said. “Students will get to witness and participate in a real lesson in political science and democracy.”
He further encouraged supporters to register for the march through the campaign’s website or by using its missed-call registration initiative.
Meanwhile, the Cockroach Janta Party continues its protest at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination. The organisation has announced that its march to Parliament will take place on July 20, coinciding with the opening day of Parliament’s monsoon session.
