While “saluteing” Wangchuk, Kejriwal said the activist was ready to “put his life on the line” for the country’s students.
Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday arrived at the CJP protest site in Jantar Mantar to express his solidarity with Sonam Wangchuk, who is on an indefinite hunger strike.
While “tributed” to Wangchuk, Kejriwal said the activist was ready to “put his life on the line” for the country’s students, and also suggested his name as the next education minister. “Dharmendra Pradhan ko hatao aur sonam wangchuk ko desh ka shiksha mantri banao Kejriwal said: “Sack Dharmendra Pradhan and make Sonam Wangchuk the education minister.”
Kejriwal also referred to his 2011 movement with Anna Hazare, saying that both of them also organized a protest at Jantar Mantar. He urged the government to listen to Wangchuk, warning that it would face the same fate as the United Progressive Alliance government. “It is in this very place that I sat with Anna Hazare in April 2011. I urge the government to listen to Sonam Wangchuk, otherwise she will face the same fate three years from now,” he said.
“The Prime Minister fears that Wangchuk will do revolutionary things,” the AAP leader said.
Wangchuk and the Cockroach Janta Party staged a protest at the site, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over NEET examination paper leaks.
“Sonam Wangchuk is a very big teacher. He has gone on hunger strike before also for Ladakh,” added the AAP national convener.
Read also | The government’s first reaction to Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike: “Medical assistance can be provided based on the doctor’s report”
“Paper leaks cripple students’ confidence… Listen to the cockroaches.”
Addressing the gathering at Jantar Mantar, Kejriwal said the paper leaks “weakened the confidence of students”. He also took and passed the IIT exam, Kejriwal said, adding that his two children were also educated at the same institution.
“Competitive exams are a dream for students. They enter exam halls believing that they will build their future on their hard work,” the former Delhi chief minister asserted, adding that paper leaks pose a “danger to the country.” He also criticized the release on bail of those accused in the Paper Leaks, highlighting the example of the main accused in the 2024 Paper Leaks.
Read also | Sonakshi Sinha and Samay ask govt to open dialogue amid Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike: ‘Koi sun kyun nahi raha?’
Kejriwal also urged the government to “listen to the youth” and listen to the crickets, saying the system must change to prevent more student suicides. The AAP National Conference urged people across the country to join the July 20 march to Parliament announced by the CJP. Kejriwal was also accompanied by AAP leader and former Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj, who also urged people to join the march to Parliament. While calling for the education minister’s resignation, Bharadwaj also criticized the BJP-led government, joking that they should not appoint Smriti Irani as education minister if they remove Pradhan.
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