NEET Protest Boils Over: Wangchuk Weakens, Tharoor Writes, Rahul Gandhi Stays Away

The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP)'s protest at Jantar Mantar entered its 25th day on Wednesday, with activist Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike , now in its 18th day , drawing a fresh wave of appeals even as the Centre kept up its silence over the agitators' demands.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor , in an open letter, urged Wangchuk to end his fast, calling it an act that had " awakened the conscience of the nation ," and appealed to the government to open dialogue once Parliament reconvenes Monday, calling such engagement " not weakness, but statesmanship ." Drawing on his own middle-class upbringing, Tharoor said a broken merit system betrays only the poor and middle class, since "the children of the rich and powerful... have other ladders."

Wangchuk, who joined the protest on June 28, has reportedly lost 8.5 kg and is suffering muscle loss and falling blood pressure. A plea has now been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking to force-feed him, warning he could lose his life within two days if the strike continues. Opposition leaders, Mamata Banerjee, Akhilesh Yadav, Uddhav Thackeray and Arvind Kejriwal , have all urged him to relent, while actors Zeenat Aman and Omi Vaidya added celebrity voices to the appeals.

The CJP , led by Abhijeet Dipke , is demanding Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over alleged NEET-UG paper-leak irregularities, along with ₹1 crore compensation for families of students who died by suicide in the aftermath. The group has announced a march to Parliament on July 20 , coinciding with the Monsoon Session's opening day .

The protest has also exposed opposition fault lines: Thackeray publicly pressed Rahul Gandhi to visit Jantar Mantar, and Wangchuk himself reportedly criticised Congress's absence as " pettiness ," warning that youth would reject the party if it stayed away. Gandhi, running a parallel " Chhatron Ki Goonj " campaign, is scheduled to meet students in Dehradun on July 17 but has not visited the protest site. AAP, Trinamool Congress, CPI(M) and other parties have sent leaders to the site or issued statements of support.

With the government yet to respond formally , pressure is mounting from courts, opposition ranks and civil society alike for an urgent resolution before Wangchuk's health worsens further.