Why is Prime Minister Narendra Modi refusing to engage in dialogue and why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has still not been held accountable: Abhijit Dipke
New Delhi, July 15: Activist Sonam Wangchuk was under round-the-clock medical supervision on Wednesday as he completed the 18th day of his hunger strike, with Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke accusing the government of being “cruel” for refusing to engage in dialogue with the protesters.
The CJP’s protest at Jantar Mantar entered its 26th day on Wednesday.
According to the medical bulletin issued by the CJP, Wangchuk remains “very weak” and is under 24-hour medical vigilance.
His weight has fallen to 57.15 kg, a drop of 400 grams in the last 24 hours, taking his total weight loss since the beginning of the fast to 8.9 kg. His blood pressure was recorded at 105/76, blood sugar at 80 mg/dL, oxygen saturation at 97 per cent, while hydration was described as fair. Doctors said he required continuous monitoring.
Dipke said the questions that deserved answers were why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was refusing to engage in dialogue and why Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had still not been held accountable. The CJP also announced a one-day mass hunger strike today in solidarity with Wangchuk and students protesting at Jantar Mantar.
The Left-backed organisation said a delegation comprising academics Nivedita Menon, Aditya Nigam, Anuradha Chenoy, and Radha Kumar visited the students. Samajwadi Party MP Priya Saroj, MLA Atul Pradhan, and MLC Man Singh Yadav also extended support and urged people to join the July 20 Parliament march.
On Tuesday, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, while veteran actor Zeenat Aman urged the government to initiate dialogue with the activist.
Former Gujarat chief minister Shankersinh Vaghela was among those who visited Jantar Mantar on Tuesday to express solidarity with Wangchuk and the CJP protesters. Actor Swara Bhaskar also joined the protest.
Dipke also appealed to supporters to change their display pictures on social media as a mark of solidarity with Wangchuk. The CJP has claimed that more than 1.3 lakh people have registered support through its missed-call campaign for the Parliament march.
‘Centre responsible if anything happens to Wangchuk’
The central government would be responsible “if anything happens” to Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on a hunger strike for 18 days, Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale said on Wednesday in a letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. He also urged Pradhan to open a dialogue with the CJP protesters.
“It is reported that the stress caused due to the NEET exam irregularities and paper leaks has led to 12 young students dying by suicide. We are talking here about innocent lives that have been lost because the system has let them down,” he said. (PTI)
