From AAP to Congress, Samajwadi Party to National Conference, Opposition parties rally behind activist

Kejriwal — whose political rise is intrinsically linked to a similar civil society-led movement held a decade-and-a-half ago against corruption (the Anna Hazare-led India Against Corruption demonstration) — stood beside Wangchuk and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to replace Pradhan with the activist. Wangchuk, he said, was better suited to reform and lead the education system that had been hit by a series of paper leaks over the past few years.

Calling Wangchuk “a great educationist”, Kejriwal said he had “worked tirelessly for the country and for Ladakh many times” and praised him for “risking his life for the country”.

The former Delhi CM framed the recurring paper leaks as a crisis of public faith in meritocracy. “When a child goes to write a competitive examination, it is not merely an examination; it is a dream. The child enters the examination hall believing that through hard work and intelligence he will build his future.”

Drawing from his own experience, the AAP chief said he had qualified for IIT at a time when examination leaks were unheard of. “I also appeared for the IIT examination and studied at IIT. In those days, papers did not leak. I was thinking that had papers been leaking then, perhaps I would never have had the confidence to attempt the examination.”

“My two children also graduated from IIT. Even during their time, the papers did not leak. But over the past few years, the way papers have begun leaking, the confidence of a child — that if I work hard and I am intelligent, I can outperform even the children of the wealthy — has begun to collapse. This is dangerous for the country.”

Referring to the NEET controversy, Kejriwal alleged that successive investigations had failed to dismantle the networks responsible for paper leaks. “Every year, papers are leaked. The mastermind behind the 2024 NEET paper leak got bail. This has become a system: papers leak, a committee is formed, an investigation begins, an FIR is registered, arrests are made, bail is granted, and preparations begin for the next year’s examination. How long will the youth of this country tolerate this? After the NEET paper leak, more than 20 children committed suicide. They were our children. But nothing changed.”

Kejriwal also criticised the handling of the recent CBSE evaluation controversy, alleging that “they did not even file an FIR against the company responsible”.

Warning that public anger over alleged irregularities in exams could have political consequences, Kejriwal drew a parallel with the Anna Hazare-led movement that was held at the same site in 2011. “Today, while coming here, I remembered April 4, 2011, when Anna Hazare was sitting here. The government of that time was also arrogant. Three years later, that government did not survive because of its arrogance,” he said.

Later, in a post on X, Kejriwal reiterated his demand, saying, “Sonam Wangchuk should be appointed as the country’s Education Minister by removing Dharmendra Pradhan.”

Others join in

In the first comment by a senior Congress leader in an official capacity, general secretary (organisation), K C Venugopal, said the party had been demanding Pradhan’s resignation for over a month and a half. “We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi government — for the collapse of the examination system in particular,” he said.

Appealing to Wangchuk to end his fast because of concerns about his health, the Congress leader said, “His concerns are our concerns and those of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation.”

In Srinagar, Omar Abdullah said politics must have room for compassion, as he hit out at the Centre for not approaching Wangchuk since he began his fast.  Comparing the Congress-led government’s approach towards the Anna Hazare-led protest, the J&K CM said then PM Manmohan Singh had sent his ministers to persuade the protesters to end their strike and begin dialogue.

SP’s Dimple Yadav, who also visited Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar during the day, appealed to the Centre to show “a little sensitivity” and initiate a dialogue, saying compassion is central to Sanatan Dharma.

In a Facebook post, Pinarayi Vijayan said the Centre was being indifferent not only to the anguish of the students but also to Wangchuk’s life. He urged the Centre not to allow the activist’s health to deteriorate further.

Apart from political leaders, several artistes have also spoken up in Wangchuk’s support. On Thursday, actor Sonakshi Sinha, whose father Shatrughan Sinha is an MP from West Bengal, uploaded a video message on her Instagram page backing the activist.

“I have never made a public statement like this before, but I cannot stay silent any longer. We all know Sonam Wangchuk. We know what he has done for the country, his achievements, and the many honours he has received. For the past 18 days, he has been on a hunger strike without food. And why? Because he is fighting for the future of children, a future he believes is being pushed towards ruin … He may not know us personally, but despite that, he has chosen to sacrifice his own well-being for this country’s children. Yet so many people have remained silent. I couldn’t. Whatever happens now, so be it, but I can no longer stay quiet,” she said.