Activist Sonam Wangchuk being attended to by medical professionals during his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on July 15, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
As activist Sonam Wangchuk continued his indefinite hunger strike on day 19, the Congress on Thursday (July 16, 2026) urged him to end his fast “in view of his health condition”, assuring that the Opposition party will continue to press for Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination.
“His [Wangchuk] concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well,” Congress leader K.C. Venugopal wrote in a post on X.
Mr. Venugopal, writing on behalf of the party, said that the 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, especially due to the lack of accountability within the Modi Govt – for the collapse of the examination system in particular,” he said.
“Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation,” Mr. Venugopal added.
The Congress’ statement comes after the Delhi High Court on Wednesday (July 16, 2026) directed the Centre and the Delhi government to ensure that Mr. Wangchuk’s medical condition is “clinically and otherwise” monitored on a daily basis and that any medical intervention required to address his deteriorating health is promptly provided.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) has been holding a protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for over 25 days demanding Mr. Pradhan’s resignation. Mr. Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has been on an indefinite fast since then.
The Bench further observed: “While noticing the assurances given by the Solicitor General, we only observe that the life of any citizen is precious and efforts ought to be made by the government authorities to save the same.” With this order, the court closed the PIL.
Published – July 16, 2026 05:07 pm IST
