Mehbooba Mufti slams Centre’s silence on Sonam Wangchuk’s fast, alleges ‘colonial mindset’

PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti criticized the Union government's refusal to engage with fasting activist Sonam Wangchuk and youth protesting over NEET irregularities at Jantar Mantar, claiming the administration's indifference reflects an enduring "colonial mindset."

Srinagar: PDP president Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday the refusal of the elected government at the Centre to engage with the protesting youth at Jantar Mantar indicated a colonial mindset.

“The distressing scenes unfolding at Jantar Mantar, where Sonam Wangchuk is risking his life to safeguard the future of our Gen Z, evoke memories of the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters to liberate India from colonial rule. The British may have left, but the colonial mindset seems to endure,” Mehbooba said in a post on X.

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The former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir commented on Sonam Wangchuk’s ongoing indefinite hunger strike, which demands the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak issue.

“How else can one explain the indifference of a democratically elected government that remains so callous that it refuses to engage with the youth at Jantar Mantar, the very generation that will shape India’s future?” Mufti asked.

The Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination began on June 20, while educator and climate activist Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has remained on an indefinite hunger strike since.

The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide over alleged examination irregularities.

The outfit has called for a peaceful march to Parliament on July 20, coinciding with the opening day of the Monsoon Session.

On Friday, Wangchuk asserted that he would “stay alive till July 20 at any cost”, even as his indefinite hunger strike entered its 20th day. Doctors warned that his prolonged fast had reached a critical stage and the next phase could be alarming, with the possibility of organ damage if the hunger strike continued.

Wangchuk, however, had refused to call off the fast, saying ending it without any response from the government would send a wrong message.