- Activist Sonam Wangchuk welcomed government acceptance of CJP protest demands
- Wangchuk said he hopes for education reforms and governance changes led by truth and justice
- CJP called off protest immediately after the government agreed to its demands
Activist Sonam Wangchuk today welcomed the government's decision to agree to the demands made by protesters under the banner of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), and congratulated the CJP and its supporters for ensuring a "victory for democracy".
The protest at Jantar Mantar began on June 6 and gained wider attention after Wangchuk joined with an indefinite hunger strike on June 28. He ended the fast on Thursday night after 26 days.
After Dharmendra Pradhan resigned as Union Education Minister this evening, the CJP announced it called off the protest in central Delhi's Jantar Mantar "with immediate effect". CJP spokesperson Saurav Das said the government assured them of meeting their demands, including cancelling FIRs filed against students and compensation for the families of students who died by suicide over the NEET paper leak.
"I welcome and respect the steps taken by the government and Dharmendra Pradhan, and congratulate all countrymen. This is a victory for democracy that we witnessed today. I congratulate and thank our CJP team who first raised this issue, as well as the volunteers who supported them, the students, youth, and elders from across the country who stood up for democracy," Wangchuk said.
"I respect all of them, and most importantly, I respect the way they maintained peace. I hope we maintain this peace and that no wrongdoing occurs anywhere in the future. We need to work on reforms. A nation isn't built by resignation alone. There should be reform in education, and further work should be done on that," he said.
He expressed hope that "the generosity with which the government has taken this step will also be reflected in reform efforts - reforms not just in education, but in governance as well. I hope that from now on, the way the country is run will change. The country will be run with love and affection, not fear, and will be led on the path of truth, not injustice," the activist from Ladakh said.
