Kapil Sibal urges Sonam Wangchuk to end hunger strike, calls Modi government anti-people

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal has appealed to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his 19-day hunger strike. Sibal slammed the Centre's silence on the protest and paper leaks, calling the current administration "anti-people" and unwilling to engage in dialogue

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Thursday appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike and dubbed the BJP-led Centre as “anti-people”, asserting that such a government had no right to stay in power.

He urged Wangchuk to end his fast, saying the government couldn’t care less about him but the youth was with him and there were many more battles to be fought in the future.

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“Why does a person go on a hunger strike? Why did Mahatma Gandhi undertake fasts? Whenever it appeared that the government was taking the path of injustice, there was bound to be protest. Protest has many forms and methods, and fasting is one such way. When someone goes on a fast, especially a fast unto death, offering even his life, the government should at least adopt a dialogue-oriented approach,” Sibal said at a press conference here.

Recalling Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, Sibal said the then government had engaged in dialogue whenever Hazare went on a hunger strike over the Jan Lokpal Bill.

“A government exists for the people and to listen to the people. But when a stage comes where the government states that it will not listen to anyone, that is the stage Indian politics has reached today,” the former Union minister said.

Attacking the Modi government, Sibal alleged that it is more concerned with splitting parties, increasing its strength in the Lok Sabha, securing a two-thirds majority to change the Constitution and deleting voters through the Election Commission than addressing people’s concerns.

He also alleged that repeated paper leaks had failed to elicit any accountability from the government.

“Why are the youth agitating? So many paper leaks have happened but Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not resigned. There will be no resignation by Pradhan, because that is their policy. They have nothing to do with the people. Such a government is anti-people, and it has no right to stay in power,” Sibal said.

He claimed that fear of action by agencies such as the Enforcement Directorate, the CBI, the Income Tax Department and state police had discourage people and civil society from speaking out.

Appealing directly to Wangchuk, Sibal said, “The government will not listen, so why would you give your life? We have to struggle for long and there are several battles ahead, such people are needed, they are loved by the people. Therefore, I urge him to end his fast.”

Wangchuk’s weight loss crossed nine kilograms on the 19th day of his indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, with doctors warning that he had entered a critical stage and that the prolonged fast could begin affecting his organs.

In a video message released late Wednesday night, Wangchuk ruled out ending his fast despite appeals from political leaders and supporters, saying doing so without any response from the government would send the wrong message. Instead, he urged people to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) proposed Parliament march on July 20.

Support for the agitation continued to pour in, with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait announcing that he would visit Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar on Thursday evening. Music composer Vishal Dadlani, actor Sayaji Shinde and author Shobhaa De also appealed to the government to engage in dialogue with the activist and expressed concern over his deteriorating health.

Earlier in the day, the Delhi High Court directed authorities to monitor Wangchuk’s health on a daily basis and provide medical intervention whenever required, observing that “the life of any citizen is precious”. The Centre and the Delhi government told the court they had no objection to regular medical monitoring.