New Delhi: As Sonam Wangchuk’s hunger strike enters its third week, more opposition parties have thrown their weight behind the Cockroach Janta Party’s (CJP’s) agitation over exam paper leaks and recruitment failures, turning it into a wider campaign against the Centre. The Congress, however, remains the only major opposition party yet to officially endorse the movement, even as some of its leaders have expressed solidarity.
Among the parties that have backed the agitation are the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi Party (SP), Shiv Sena (UBT), Trinamool Congress (TMC), CPI, CPI(ML)-Liberation and the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). Leaders from the DMK have also visited the protest site, while delegations from the Left parties, AAP, SP and TMC have met protesters at Jantar Mantar.
The Congress leadership, however, has kept its distance. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh told ThePrint, “We are a political party. Movements come and movements go, but you need to be serious players in the political system. We have nothing against them, but they are not a political party.”
A Congress office-bearer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party saw little reason to share the stage with the CJP. “Until a few months ago, (CJP founder Abhijeet) Dipke was criticising Rahul Gandhi. Why should we suddenly support his movement? Congress has already started ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’, which is raising the same issues on a much bigger scale. So why should we share the stage?”
The leader also questioned the CJP’s future. “Dipke comes from AAP. How do we know this will not become AAP 2.0? If that happens, it will go against our own politics.”
Another Congress leader, also requesting anonymity, said the protest was now largely backed by Left student organisations, making the party wary of joining it. “If we support the protest, it could create confusion about our own political stand,”
Professor Chandrachud Singh of the University of Delhi said the Congress wants to be seen as the primary political voice for young people. “The party believes it should lead the youth movement, especially through Rahul Gandhi’s Chhatron Ki Goonj campaign. It does not want to share that space with another group because it wants to consolidate young voters.”
Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai said the hesitation was also shaped by the party’s experience during the Anna Hazare movement.
“There is still some distrust because of the Anna Hazare movement. Political parties are naturally cautious, and the CJP currently looks like a broad citizens’ movement. Congress is worried that it could later become a political force,” he added.
Senior Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, however, struck a different note, writing an open letter to protesting students and Wangchuk on X. He urged Wangchuk to end his hunger strike, saying the fast had already succeeded in drawing national attention to the issue, while expressing solidarity with the students’ demands.
Protesters said a local Congress leader had visited the site at Jantar Mantar in his personal capacity, but stressed that he was not representing the party.
The political outreach began after CJP leaders Abhijeet Dipke and Saurav Das wrote to leaders across party lines on 9 and 10 July, inviting them to visit Jantar Mantar and support students demanding accountability over the NEET-UG paper leak and the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The letters were sent to several leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and BJP president J.P. Nadda.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Das said several leaders had already responded positively, with many visiting the protest site or inviting the delegation for discussions, while the organisation continued to await replies from others.
Former West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also expressed support, describing Wangchuk’s hunger strike as “a wake-up call for this government” and accusing the Centre of ignoring students affected by paper leaks.
The Congress’s stance has also drawn comments from its INDIA bloc allies. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray recently urged Rahul Gandhi to visit Jantar Mantar, saying everyone who believed in the country’s youth should stand with the movement.
Wangchuk has maintained that leaders across political parties would eventually join the agitation.
AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal will visit Jantar Mantar on 16 July to express solidarity and has again demanded Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation while urging Wangchuk to end his fast. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee have also spoken to Wangchuk to express support, while Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray described the issue as one “beyond politics”.
The CJP is now preparing for a march to Parliament on 20 July and has appealed to all political parties that have backed the agitation to join what it hopes will be its biggest mobilisation yet.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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