The Telapoka Janata Party on Monday launched a ‘Chalo Sangsad’ campaign in capital Delhi against the NEET exam question paper leak. But CJP got permission from Delhi Police. However, social activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on hunger strike for almost three weeks, has agreed to call off her hunger strike. However, it is not unconditional.
He will break his fast only if he gets firm assurances from political parties that the issues of education system and administrative responsibilities should be raised in Parliament. Sonam Wangchuk’s wife Gitanjali Angmo conveyed the big message in her speech to the protesters at Jantar Mantar on Sunday night.
Speaking at the CJP’s stand at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on Sunday, Gitanjali Angmo said the Parliament session will begin on Monday. Wangchuck will call off his hunger strike on Monday if top political party leaders visit him at Safdarjung Hospital and give him a firm assurance to raise the issue of accountability in the education sector in this session of Parliament.
“Sonam told me that this hunger strike is not the last thing for her, but the only powerful way to restore transparency and accountability in the country’s education system. If the leaders come to the hospital and promise to raise this demand in Parliament.”
As Wangchuck’s message came from the hospital, people literally thronged Jantar Mantar at 9am on Monday to make the ‘Chalo Sangsad’ campaign a success. Nationwide protests erupted on the streets of Delhi on Sunday night against the leak of NEET exam papers and demands for radical reforms in the education system.
The CJP has already launched a ‘missed call’ campaign to register 130,000 supporters. And this is reflected in the struggle for land. People from home and abroad have been thronging Yantarmantar since Sunday night.
“More than 20,000 people have already gathered at Jantar Mantar and surrounding areas. But July 20 is still hours away! Dharmendra Pradhan – your day of reckoning has come,” CJP chief spokesperson Saurabh Das claimed on social media. Pictures and videos of the crowd have now gone viral on the net.
As the crowd increases, the risk of police action increases. Telapoka Janata Party founder Abhishek Deepak in a video message urged all supporters to continue rallying to make Monday’s parliamentary campaign a peaceful success. He urged the protestors to stay awake at the venue on Sunday at any cost.
“Our movement is going on. Please come here in large numbers. Spend the night here. If you leave now, the police will come and forcefully try to quell the movement,” Deepak said. But at the same time, he urged the supporters to remain completely non-violent and obey the instructions of the police. He also clarified that Sonam Wangchuk is on hunger strike inside the hospital despite the police forcefully taking her away from Jantar Mantar.
CJP posted some sensational posts on his ‘X’ handle. Police have already started stockpiling tear gas in the area to quell the protests. He also fears that some anti-social elements are trying to infiltrate the gathering to tarnish the movement.
Delhi Police clarified on Sunday afternoon that no permission was given for the ‘Chalo Sangsad’ operation. Section 163 of the Civil Protection Act of India has been promulgated in the entire New Delhi district for the monsoon session. As a result, gatherings or processions of five or more people without prior permission are strictly prohibited. The police issued a stern warning that a criminal case would be filed under Section 223 of the BNS. The entire area, including Parliament Street, Central Vista and Connaught Place, has been turned into a police base.
According to the last bulletin issued by the Safdarjung Hospital authorities on Sunday night, Sonam Wangchuk’s vital parameters are stable but the blood component variations are yet to be fully resolved. A team of multidisciplinary doctors is closely monitoring him to deal with the physical stress caused by the prolonged fast. But Wangchuk still refuses to eat anything. The Delhi High Court dismissed the plea filed by his family to shift him to a private hospital.