Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 30: Educationist and activist Sonam Wangchuk has said Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi was considered as a possible person to end his hunger strike during the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP)-led movement, but the plan did not receive a positive response.
Wangchuk made the remarks during an interaction with podcaster Prakhar Gupta on The Prakhar Gupta Xperience, where he spoke at length about Abhijeet Dipke, the CJP, the political ambitions of young leaders associated with the movement and the role Rahul Gandhi could have played during his 26-day hunger strike. The podcast also addressed questions about the movement's political neutrality, alleged outside influence and the circumstances surrounding the end of Wangchuk's fast.
Speaking about Dipke and other young leaders associated with the movement, Wangchuk said he did not consider their political ambitions a problem. He said people who had previously been associated with political parties could still contribute to the movement and that there was nothing wrong with young leaders having aspirations to enter politics.
Wangchuk said he believed Dipke and other young leaders would have political ambitions and "they should" have them. However, he stressed that their individual ambitions should remain separate from the movement's platform.
According to Wangchuk, the platform should continue functioning as a neutral and apolitical pressure group rather than transform itself into a political party. He said maintaining that character would help preserve public confidence and allow the movement to achieve more.
He also described the young leaders as ordinary Indian youth who wanted to express their concerns about developments in the country. Wangchuk said they were well-meaning and skilled and added that he had not seen signs suggesting that they were corruptible.
The activist also addressed questions surrounding the Cockroach Janata Party and allegations of outside influence. He said he had not felt that the young leaders were working for another power.
Wangchuk referred to audience data available to the movement and said around 94 per cent of its followers were from India, while six per cent were from outside the country. He said the figures did not give him reason to suspect foreign influence.
The CJP emerged as a youth-led movement that gained national attention through protests over education-related issues and examination irregularities. Abhijeet Dipke has since remained associated with the organisation's efforts, while Wangchuk has continued to be described as a mentor to the movement.
Explaining Rahul Gandhi's involvement in discussions around his hunger strike, Wangchuk said the Congress leader's name came up when the protest had entered its later stages and organisers were uncertain about how it could be brought to an end.
By around the 15th or 16th day of his fast, Wangchuk said, there was uncertainty over whether the protest would achieve its objectives and discussions had begun about an exit strategy.
The idea was to take the issue to Parliament and have Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, break Wangchuk's fast. Under the proposed plan, opposition MPs would receive the protesters in Parliament and Gandhi would give Wangchuk juice or soup, bringing the hunger strike to an end.
Wangchuk said the movement would then withdraw from the protest and hand the issue over to Parliament, making the proposed intervention a possible exit strategy.
However, Wangchuk said attempts to contact Gandhi did not receive a positive response.
He said organisers had hoped Gandhi's personal participation could have given the movement considerably greater momentum. According to Wangchuk, Gandhi had not visited the protest earlier and did not come later either.
Wangchuk also claimed that some senior Congress leaders had told them they had been asked not to attend the protest. He said organisers had nevertheless regarded asking Gandhi to break the fast in Parliament as giving him the highest possible honour in the context of the movement.
The remarks come amid continuing discussion over the relationship between the CJP movement and mainstream political parties. While several opposition parties and leaders had expressed support for the agitation, the movement has maintained that its platform should not become aligned with any political party.
Wangchuk's 26-day hunger strike became one of the defining moments of the movement. His fast helped draw national attention to the protesters' demands and intensified pressure surrounding the education system and the then Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who subsequently resigned.
Wangchuk said he hoped the experience would help the young leaders emerge as more mature and capable public figures. He maintained that political aspirations among individuals were not inherently wrong, but the movement's platform should retain its credibility by remaining neutral.
The Cockroach Janata Party has since announced a national leadership structure with Dipke as its National Convener and has continued to focus on youth mobilisation and education-related issues.