Congress Backs Wangchuk, Urges Him To End Fast While Pressing For Pradhan's Resignation

Congress has urged Sonam Wangchuk to end his 19-day hunger strike, while vowing to continue demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.

Venugopal said the Congress had been demanding Pradhan's resignation for more than six weeks and stood firmly behind Wangchuk's concerns.

Source : ANI

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• He refuses to end fast without Centre's response.

Congress on Thursday appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike, even as it reiterated its demand for Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the alleged collapse of the examination system. In a post on X, Congress general secretary KC Venugopal said the party shared Wangchuk's "anguish and outrage" over the government's lack of accountability. His appeal came on the 19th day of Wangchuk's fast, as doctors warned that the activist had entered a critical stage and his health could deteriorate further.

Congress Backs Wangchuk

Venugopal said the Congress had been demanding Pradhan's resignation for more than six weeks and stood firmly behind Wangchuk's concerns.

Shri Sonam Wangchuk has now been on a hunger strike for 19 days, demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister.

The Indian National Congress has been making this very demand for over a month and a half. We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels,…

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 16, 2026

"Shri Sonam Wangchuk has now been on a hunger strike for 19 days, demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister," he wrote on X.

While urging Wangchuk to end his fast in view of his deteriorating health, Venugopal assured him that the Opposition would continue to raise the issue.

"His concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister's resignation," he said.

Health Turns Critical

The appeal came as doctors revealed that Wangchuk had lost more than 9kg since beginning his indefinite hunger strike and had entered a critical phase of prolonged fasting.

According to the latest medical bulletin, his glucose reserves have been exhausted and his body has started consuming muscle tissue. Doctors warned that if the fast continues, vital organs could eventually be affected, although Wangchuk remains mentally alert and under round-the-clock medical observation.

Despite growing concern, Wangchuk ruled out ending his fast without a response from the Centre, arguing that doing so would send the wrong message. Instead, he urged supporters to strengthen the Cockroach Janta Party's proposed "Chalo Sansad" march to Parliament on July 20.

The Delhi High Court has directed authorities to monitor Wangchuk's health daily and provide medical intervention whenever necessary, observing that the life of every citizen is precious.

Support for the activist has continued to grow, with farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, music composer Vishal Dadlani, actor Sayaji Shinde and author Shobhaa De expressing solidarity and urging the government to engage in dialogue with him.