Sonam Wangchuk reveals untold NEET protest story: CJP ‘test’ before hunger strike, ‘take a break or exit’ moment

Activist Sonam Wangchuk shared untold stories behind the massive protest held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi against irregularities in the NEET examination. He revealed how he put the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) leadership through a "test" before sitting on a hunger strike and later recalled a "take a break or exit" moment amid pressure to end the fast.

Sonam Wangchuk held a 26-day hunger strike during the NEET protest, which led to the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as education minister. The protest, led by the CJP, began on 6 June.

The protest turned violent on 20 July, when CJP protesters and security forces clashed during the 'Sansad Chalo' march organised to demand key reforms in the education system and Pradhan's accountability and resignation.

Sonam Wangchuk reveals untold NEET protest story

Speaking to Prakhar Gupta on the PGX podcast, Sonam Wangchuk said he put the CJP leadership through a "test" before sitting on the hunger strike. "I did something very interesting," he said.

Wangchuk said he wanted to "test" how strong the CJP leaders' motivation was. "I want that whoever I support, they must have a stake. The motivation [of the protesting group] should be so strong that my help helps them," he said in the podcast.

"So I scheduled my calendar in the way," he added. Wangchuk said he told the CJP leaders that he would be going to Switzerland for a week. "If you can handle this stage yourselves for a week, then I will sit on the hunger strike. It was like a test for them."

"I told them that I will hold the strike only if you could handle this stage on your own strength for a week, without any hunger strike," Wangchuk said.

"My thing was in the oven...I thought I would support them if it all goes right, I won't if it fizzles away," Wangchuk said, explaining his "assignment" for the CJP.

"But, when I came back, they were holding the fort, even though the number of protesters at that time was very low...those were the best circumstances...the best recipe where I could support," he added.

"I appreciate that they [CJP] didn't leave it...number was less, and that's why they needed my help," the activist said.

‘Take a break' moment: Wangchuk says CJP wanted to 'exit'

Sonam Wangchuk said a "take a break or exit" moment came for him when people were pressuring him to end the fast. He recalled that not everyone's morale was high throughout the protest.

"There were one or two people who asked me how to exit from this...they said 'we want to leave this place,'" he told the podcaster, adding that the extent of the crowd impacted the "mood" of the protesters.

"My condition deteriorated by the 12th and 13th day," Wangchuk said.

Wangchuk also shared how CJP leadership was demoralised after the 20 July violence and had asked Wangchuk to write an "exit" note. "The stage was vandalised...people were gone...they said there is no hope now," he added.

The leadership asked Wangchuk to write a message, asking protesters to "get good rest now...we can see tomorrow what to do," he said. Wangchuk said he even wrote such a message, but it never went out.

"But on 21 July, people started returning to the protest," which boosted the CJP's confidence. "On one side, JP Nadda was coming, and on the other side, the CJP was gaining back its confidence," Wangchuk said.

Wangchuk also shared that he was under intense pressure, with many, including the organisers, asking him to break the fast. "There was the atmosphere of need a break or exit...," he said.

Wangchuk said opposition leaders were contacted. He wanted to break the fast in the presence of both the Opposition and government (ministers) — "which is the nation."

Many opposition leaders came. The government subsequently opened communication with Wangchuk through Intelligence Bureau officials. On the night of July 21, Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at the hospital and urged him to end his hunger strike.

Wangchuk says youth did something remarkable

Wangchuk credited the young protesters for returning despite having faced police action during the 20 July 'Sansad Chalo' protest.

“The youth did something remarkable,” he said, praising those who returned after being subjected to a lathi-charge.

He said the CJP leadership's morale tended to rise and fall depending on the number of people present at the protest.

“The leadership looks at people's faces and their morale sometimes goes up and sometimes goes down,” Wangchuk said. “When they left, it had gone down. When the youth came back the next day, their morale went up.”

Wangchuk said he supported the decision to continue the protest after 20 July because, even if the resignation did not lead to an immediate improvement in education, it represented accountability for what had happened.