The Chalo Sansad protest at Jantar Mantar showed no signs of ending on Wednesday, with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) reiterating that the agitation would continue until Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigns or is removed from office, even as activist Sonam Wangchuk said he would end his indefinite fast only if the government assured that no legal action would be taken against young protesters.
Addressing demonstrators at Jantar Mantar, CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke said the movement would continue until its key demand was met.
“We will not let Sonam sir’s hunger strike go in vain. We will not let the brutal assault on students go in vain. The peaceful protest at Jantar Mantar will continue until Dharmendra Pradhan resigns,” Dipke said.
He further declared that the protest would not end until the Education Minister was “sacked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” drawing parallels with the year-long farmers’ protest and asserting that demonstrators would continue their agitation until they achieved their objective.
Meanwhile, CJP Chief Spokesperson Saurav Das said the organisation had declined an invitation to meet Union Minister JP Nadda at his residence after police informed them of the government’s outreach.
According to Das, the protesters insisted that any dialogue should take place at Jantar Mantar, where a “janata darbar” was being held, arguing that ministers should come to the people rather than asking protesters to visit government offices or residences. However, he said the group was willing to meet at a neutral venue near the protest site if there were security concerns.
Das said the government must demonstrate a genuine intent to accept the protesters’ demands, adding that there was little point in holding “meaningless discussions” while thousands of people continued to participate in the agitation.
In a letter addressed to Union Ministers JP Nadda and Dr Jitendra Singh, Wangchuk thanked the ministers for visiting him in hospital and appealing to him to end his indefinite fast. He said they had assured him that the government would positively consider adequate compensation for the families of students who died by suicide following the alleged examination paper leak, and a meaningful discussion in Parliament to ensure accountability, including consideration of the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Wangchuk also noted that around 65 Members of Parliament from across political parties had written to him, while others had personally urged him to end his fast. He said he wished to return to his students and continue his work, but could not do so at the cost of the young people for whom the movement began.
However, Wangchuk made it clear that he would end his fast only if the government gave an unequivocal assurance that none of the young protesters would face punitive or retaliatory legal action for participating in the movement. He said their only “offence” had been to raise their voices for a fair and accountable education system.
He further expressed hope that there would be no further use of excessive police force against demonstrators, warning that the future of democracy depended on how the country treated its young citizens when they spoke with courage, hope and conviction.