Jantar Mantar protest: Shashi Tharoor urges Sonam Wangchuk to end hunger strike, asks Centre to begin dialogue

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday appealed to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination while urging the Union government to initiate dialogue with the protestersIn an open letter addressed to the protesters Tharoor said Parliaments Monsoon Session beginning next week would provide an opportunity to raise the concerns of students in the countrys highest legislative forum He also described dialogue between the government and the protesters as an act of statesmanshipThe appeal comes as Wangchuks health continues to deteriorate after more than two weeks of fastingTharoor urges Wangchuk to end fastIn his letter Tharoor made a direct appeal to Wangchuk to call off his indefinite fast saying the protest had already drawn national attention to the issueAn Open Letter to the Jantar Mantar protestorsMy dear young friendsI address you today not as a politician or an MP but as someone deeply troubled by what is happening to your generation of young IndiansThis is personal for me I was born to a middleclass family myhellipmdash Shashi Tharoor ShashiTharoor July 15 2026You have awakened the conscience of the nation that is what a fast is meant to do India needs your voice for the long road ahead Tharoor saidWith Parliament in session again from Monday we will have an opportunity to raise the students issues in the highest forum of our democracy Thats where the problem should be addressed not by fasting unto death Please heed my plea he saidMP expresses solidarity with studentsAddressing the protesters Tharoor said he understood the importance of a fair and transparent examination system recalling his own educational journeyMy dear young friends I address you today not as a politician or an MP but as someone deeply troubled by what is happening to your generation of young Indians This is personal for me I was born to a middleclass family my father was a salaried newspaper employee my mother a homemaker with three children to educate on one income he saidHe said meritbased opportunities had shaped his own careerFor a family like ours merit was not a slogan Scholarships fair examinations honest results mdash these were the only way one salary could carry three childrens dreamsTharoor added that a transparent examination system remains essential for students from lower and middleincome familiesSo I know that a fair meritbased system is the only ladder for young people from lower and middleincome families to climb up When that ladder is broken mdash papers leaked examinations cancelled trust destroyed mdash the children of the rich and powerful do not sufferAppeal to government for dialogueTharoor also called on the Union government to engage with the protesters instead of allowing the situation to escalateIn his message to the government he urged the authorities to initiate discussions with Wangchuk and the protesting studentsThat is not weakness that is statesmanship he assertedProtest over alleged NEET irregularities continuesThe CJP has been staging a protest at Jantar Mantar demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the NEET examinationWangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and has remained on an indefinite hunger strike since then The organisation has also announced a march to Parliament on July 20 and recently unveiled a fivepoint charter seeking reforms in the examination systemAccording to CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke Wangchuk has lost 85 kg since beginning the fast and is experiencing muscle loss and immense painLeaders from across parties appeal to WangchukAs concerns over Wangchuks health have grown leaders from several political parties have urged him to end his fast while asking the government to engage with the protestersAmong those who have appealed to Wangchuk are Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind KejriwalActor Zeenat Aman also called on the government to begin a dialogue with Wangchuk while actor Omi Vaidya appealed to the public to pay attention to the activists deteriorating healthThe organisers of the protest maintain that their agitation will continue until their demands regarding alleged irregularities in the NEET examination are addressed