3 min readNew DelhiJul 17, 2026 11:30 AM IST
A day after the Congress broke its silence on activist Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike demanding Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation, party MP and senior leader Pawan Khera visited Wangchuk on Friday and accused the “insensitive” central government of not understanding the language of democratic protest.
Wangchuk has been on a hunger strike since June 28 as part of a protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party, demanding wider reforms in the country’s examination system and Pradhan’s resignation over repeated examination paper leaks.
“As you saw yesterday, our party general secretary, K C Venugopal, also posted on X. We are all concerned about Sonam Wangchuk’s health, and there is a very insensitive government in power that does not understand the language of democratic protest. In the face of such a government, the method of protest should keep evolving. We are concerned about his health and also about the students sitting with him. By putting your lives at risk, you will not be able to achieve anything from this government,” Khera said at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
The move to engage with Wangchuk came a day after Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi directed the leadership to do so.
Several Opposition parties, including the Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, and Shiv Sena (UBT), have extended support to Wangchuk, demanding that the Centre engage with him and sack Pradhan.
Sonia recalls Indira’s intervention
According to sources, Sonia Gandhi wanted the Congress to back Wangchuk even though a section of party leaders was sceptical about joining the activist or the Cockroach Janta Party on the issue.
Gandhi’s advice came during a Congress parliamentary party meeting ahead of the Monsoon Session. Party insiders said she pointed out that in 1984, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had flown to Leh to meet Wangchuk’s father, Sonam Wangyal, who was on a hunger strike seeking Scheduled Tribe status for Ladakhis. Indira had persuaded Wangyal to end the hunger strike.
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Soon after the meeting, Venugopal posted on X: “His (Wangchuk) concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation.”
In an interview with The Indian Express on Tuesday, Wangchuk had said that resignation or accountability was just a starting point. “The door must then open to determine the right course of action. This issue must be debated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. And to formulate those broader reforms, the government should rope in these young people or educationists like me,” he had said.