‘Governments fell over onions, why not education?’ asks Sonam Wangchuk on Day 20

Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk, on the 20th day of his indefinite hunger strike, said he has lost nearly 20 percent of his body weight but remains determined. He urged mass participation in the Cockroach Janta Party’s Parliament march on July 20.

New Delhi: Educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk on Friday said he has lost nearly 20 per cent of his body during his indefinite hunger strike but remained resolute, asserting that if governments could fall over rising onion prices, seeking accountability for students could also bring political change.

In a video message shared at the end of the 20th day of his fast, Wangchuk urged people to join the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20 in large numbers, saying public participation was the movement’s biggest strength.

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“Yes, I am still alive. Twenty per cent of my body is gone. After fats, muscles are gone. After that, organs will go. Finally, the brain. The time has not come yet,” Wangchuk said.

Seeking to reassure supporters about his condition, he added, “The 20th day is coming to an end. Let me prove that my mind is still fine.”

Referring to questions over whether the ongoing agitation would lead to accountability or the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Wangchuk said people often underestimated the power of mass movements.

“I ask you — do the people of India love their children’s lives and education more, or onions?” he said, before recalling that governments had fallen in the past over public anger triggered by soaring onion prices.

“Three times governments fell in India because of a people’s movement. Once in 1980, the central government fell. In 1998, the Delhi government fell. That year, the Rajasthan government also fell. And what was the movement about? Onion prices,” he said.

“And here we are talking about the lives of children. More than 20 suicides have taken place this year. There will be more in the years to come. Can we not ensure accountability through this movement? Will the education minister not resign?” he asked.

Appealing for a massive turnout for the July 20 “Chalo Sansad” march, Wangchuk said the strength of the movement lay in public participation.

“March with me to Parliament on July 20. You are our strength. Otherwise, who am I? What am I? I am a lonely, hungry, worthless human being. You are the strength,” he said.

“Your numbers are our strength. This is the strength that has made governments fall over onions. We are only seeking accountability,” he added.

The Cockroach Janta Party has been holding a protest at Jantar Mantar since June 20, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination, a judicial probe into the alleged examination scams and wider reforms in the examination system.

Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has remained on an indefinite hunger strike since then.