Activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday said he would continue his indefinite hunger strike till July 20 so that he could lead the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) proposed march to Parliament, adding that if the mobilisation failed, he would "come back as a ghost". Wangchuk's fast entered the 20th day on Friday, with people from diverse sections requesting him to end it over his failing health.
"I will stay alive by any means until July 20 so that I can march to Parliament with all of you. And if our march doesn't succeed on July 20, then I'll come back as a ghost," Wangchuk told supporters while addressing protesters at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the education system.
The CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar has now entered its 28th day, with the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" or Parliament march emerging as the movement's next major mobilisation.
July 20 will be the first day of the Parliament's monsoon session.
In his address at Jantar Mantar, Wangchuk urged supporters to channel their energy into ensuring a massive turnout.
"I am weak from the outside but very strong inside. I am sure all of you are strong from the inside, and outside too. We need this energy for July 20, when we will take out a peaceful march to Parliament. We will go together and present our plea in the temple of democracy," he said.
While many supporters and public figures have appealed to him to end the hunger strike, Wangchuk reiterated that the movement needed participation more than sympathy.
Earlier this week, in a video message, Wangchuk urged people not to ask him to break his fast but instead join the Parliament march.
"Rather than asking me to break my fast, please join me on 20th July... peaceful march to the Parliament," he had said.
Wangchuk has maintained that ending the fast without any response from the Narendra Modi government would send the wrong message. He has repeatedly said that he seeks a dialogue with the Centre while continuing to demand Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
The activist's health continued to decline as the fast entered its third week.
According to the medical update issued on Thursday, Wangchuk's weight has fallen to 56.65 kg, a drop of 500 grams in the last 24 hours and more than 9 kg since he began fasting.
Doctors recorded his blood pressure at 105/61 mmHg, blood sugar at 80 mg/dL, and oxygen saturation at 97%. While he remains conscious and mentally alert, doctors have said he requires continuous medical monitoring.
Wangchuk's deteriorating health has also reached the Delhi High Court, which has directed the Centre and Delhi government to monitor him daily and provide medical assistance if his condition worsens. The Centre replied on Thursday that it would closely monitor Wangchuk's condition.
Over the past week, politicians, writers, actors and civil society figures have visited Jantar Mantar in solidarity with Wangchuk, with many urging him to end his hunger strike.
Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike has fundamentally changed the trajectory of the CJP protest.
When the movement began, it was widely viewed as a satirical campaign led by students. The CJP itself was born out of outrage after Chief Justice of India Surya Kant referred to unemployed youth as "cockroaches" and "parasites", prompting Abhijeet Dipke, then in Boston, to launch the satirical political movement.
But Wangchuk's decision to stop eating transformed the protest from an online campaign into a movement with a moral centre.
His physical sacrifice shifted the public conversation beyond slogans and speeches.
Only after his fast crossed the two-week mark did prominent opposition leaders begin publicly engaging with the protest. Writers, actors and civil society figures also started appealing to him to end his fast, while media attention increasingly centred on the Ladakh-based activist.
Today, supporters arriving at Jantar Mantar are not merely protesting alleged failures in the education system. Many come to stand beside Wangchuk, whose fast has become the defining point of the movement.
Yet Wangchuk insists that sympathy alone cannot sustain the agitation.
For him, the next test comes on July 20.
Wangchuk says for him the success of the Parliament march and not the number of days he has gone without food would determine whether his hunger strike has achieved its purpose. And he has warned, jokingly, that if the participation in the march wasn't as per his expectations, he "will come back as a ghost".
Source: India Today