Wangchuk Sets June 28 Deadline, Readies Hunger Strike as 'Pradhan Go Back' Campaign Swells With Congress Backing

The protest against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET-UG paper-leak controversy has entered a more pointed phase, with activist Sonam Wangchuk setting a Saturday deadline for the Centre to respond before launching an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar — a move that will fold into the Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) growing "Pradhan Go Back" campaign and Congress's parallel nationwide drive.

In a video message on X, Wangchuk said he would wait until June 27 for an official government response and, failing that, begin his fast from June 28 , calling it a peaceful democratic protest and urging supporters to join him. He explained that before a recent trip to Geneva , he had promised supporters he would reassess the government's response on his return, but said there had been no meaningful progress despite repeated appeals.

Wangchuk framed his protest around two demands: accountability in education following the NEET paper-leak allegations, with transparency and fairness owed to the millions of students whose futures rest on these exams; and protection of Ladakh's ecology, culture and the rights of its people, with local communities given a real say in decisions affecting their land. Accountability, he said, "cannot be selective" and must apply equally to governance in ecologically sensitive regions. "If I do not receive a response on either of these issues by Saturday, I will sit on a hunger strike with all of you," he said.

His fast will coincide with the broader push CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke kicked off on Friday, when he announced a nationwide "Pradhan Go Back" campaign and invited students, farmers and civil society groups to Jantar Mantar on June 28, where the CJP has held a sit-in since June 20 . The agitation has already spread to cities including Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Lucknow and Amritsar , with supporters banging thalis and spoons in protest. Dipke has said Pradhan's resignation alone would not end the public anger, demanded Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of students who died by suicide, and accused police of inaction over alleged attacks on protest volunteers.

Congress has launched its own campaign in the same window. Its 40-day "Chhatron Ki Goonj" (Voice of Students) drive, begun Thursday, will culminate in a "Delhi Chalo" march on August 9 , with leader Satej Patil noting that nearly 23 lakh students appeared for NEET while only about two lakh would eventually secure admission. Party leaders cited 89 paper leaks over the past decade affecting more than six crore students , with 48 exams rescheduled and 22 cancelled, and the campaign will include demonstrations outside district collector offices in 28 cities on August 1 . Rahul Gandhi separately demanded Pradhan apologise to the country's youth and resign, accusing the government of branding protesting students "terrorists."

Pradhan has pushed back firmly against the protesters. He has called the CJP a "B-team of disruptive elements" fronting for forces rejected by voters, alleging an attempt to target institutions under a different guise, and has accused Congress and Rahul Gandhi of trying to "create anarchy" over the issue.

With Wangchuk's deadline now converging with the CJP's June 28 mobilisation and Congress's campaign building toward August, pressure on the government over both the NEET controversy and Ladakh's status looks set to intensify through the coming weeks, with all eyes on whether the Centre responds before Saturday.