Why did Wangchuk go on hunger strike; if he did, why did he end it: Congress MP

New Delhi, July 25 (SocialNews.XYZ) Congress MP Imran Masood on Saturday questioned activist Sonam Wangchuk's decision to end his 26-day hunger strike after meeting Union Ministers J.P. Nadda and Jitendra Singh, asking what understanding had been reached between the activist and the government.

Masood raised doubts over the circumstances under which Wangchuk called off his fast, questioning why he chose to end the protest only after the intervention of Union ministers despite repeated appeals from Opposition leaders and students.

Meanwhile, earlier, Wangchuk had rejected allegations of any compromise with the government, asking critics, "Do I need a character certificate?" after ending his hunger strike in support of students protesting against examination paper leaks.

Responding to the criticism, Wangchuk maintained that there had been no agreement with the Centre. He said his primary objective throughout the protest was to ensure that students participating in the movement were not subjected to violence or legal action.

Speaking to IANS, Masood said, "We had said that when you were carrying out the protest, 45 Opposition MPs went to request you, why didn't you agree? We had been continuously saying for a long time that your life is precious and that you should not put yourself at risk. But when two ministers from the BJP government went to you, you immediately agreed? And what exactly did you agree on? Please explain that as well."

Continuing his criticism, the Congress MP asked, "Why did you go on a hunger strike in the first place, and why did you break it? If you had to end the protest, why did you not do it when the Opposition MPs had approached you? Or when leaders like Abhijeet Dipke repeatedly requested you? Or when the protesting students requested you?"

Masood further argued that Wangchuk should have ended the fast at the request of the students for whose cause he had launched the protest.

"If you had called 10 students and accepted juice from their hands, it would have made sense that you had taken a step based on their appeal. The question being raised against you is: On what grounds did you agree with the ministers and decide to break your hunger strike?" he said.

He added that MPs from the Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Aam Aadmi Party had also appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast, but those requests were not accepted.

"The students for whom you went on a hunger strike, you should have called those very students and ended the protest by accepting their request. When they were repeatedly urging you, when we were repeatedly requesting you, and when Opposition MPs were also repeatedly appealing to you, you should have ended it then. What was the special reason that you accepted juice from the hands of the ministers and broke your hunger strike? You will have to explain that," Masood said.

Reacting to criticism over his remarks on Wangchuk, the Congress MP claimed he was being targeted by BJP supporters on social media.

"Who is doing it? Who is trolling? The BJP! Who is trolling? The BJP! I am being trolled from BJP handles, right? So the picture is clear, isn't it? Now, I don't need to explain anything further... I did not say anything wrong; Sonam Wangchuk is Anna Hazare Part 2. That is exactly what I said. What is wrong with saying that? Did I touch a sensitive nerve?" he remarked.

His comments came a day after the Union Cabinet approved a draft Bill proposing significantly stricter punishments for paper leaks in competitive examinations. The decision followed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement that the government would establish fast-track courts and introduce stronger legal measures to protect students' futures.

Commenting on the proposed legislation, Masood said, "The existing laws are fully capable on their own. When the chargesheet is filed, action will follow. But in your system, the chargesheet itself is not filed. Do you not want to establish accountability? One person who has destroyed the entire education system of the country -- the Education Minister. You are not ready to remove him. The entire education system of the country has been ruined."

Referring to the government's decision to remove 47 officials associated with the National Testing Agency (NTA), Masood questioned the effectiveness of the action.

"Who were the 47 people that were removed? Who were the people who were dismissed? They were not even NTA employees. They were contractual workers or people taken from other departments. What was their actual role? Just look at the situation and see where things stand. Contractual employees were working inside the NTA," he said.

Source: IANS