There was a time when Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Ladakh-based activist and educationist Sonam Wangchuk seemed to be moving in step on the future of Indian education. Back in March 2023, the two met to discuss the National Education Policy (NEP), exchanged words of mutual appreciation, and publicly voiced hope for transforming the country’s education system.
That warmth played out on Twitter, now X, for the world to see. But like the twist in a thriller, the story took a sharp turn, and an entirely new chapter began.
Nearly three years later, that once-cordial relationship has collapsed into one of the sharpest public confrontations the education sector has witnessed in recent memory.
Wangchuk, now the leading face of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, is on an indefinite hunger strike demanding Pradhan’s resignation over his handling of the 2026 NEET-UG paper leak controversy.
His fast entered its 18th day on Wednesday. A day earlier, prominent voices from various fields had appealed to Wangchuk to call off the fast.
When Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Met Educationist Sonam Wangchuk
Back in March 2023, Dharmendra Pradhan sat down for an interaction with Sonam Wangchuk, a name widely associated with education reform and sustainable innovation. Following the meeting, the Union minister posted a photograph with Wangchuk and his wife, social entrepreneur Gitanjali J Angmo, calling the exchange inspiring.
“Wonderful conversations with Shri Sonam Wangchuk and his wife, Gitanjali J Angmo ji. Appreciate their passion, thoughts, and drive for transforming education, encouraging experiential learning, developing a culture of innovation and sustainable development,” Pradhan wrote on X.
Wangchuk responded in kind, expressing confidence in the government’s reform agenda.
“Thank you, Dharmendra Pradhan ji for being so open to innovative ideas in education. We feel even more committed to making NEP a reality on the ground,” Wangchuk posted on X.
At that point, both men seemed to share a common belief that the National Education Policy could reshape learning through innovation and hands-on education.
From Collaboration to Confrontation: How the Ties Unravelled
The equation between Wangchuk and Pradhan shifted dramatically in the wake of the NEET-UG 2026 exam and the CBSE online marking row.
More than 22 lakh students had appeared for the test, which was scrapped on May 12 after allegations surfaced that question papers had been leaked through so-called “guess papers.”
A nationwide retest followed on June 21. In the gap between the cancellation and the re-exam, at least 11 to 14 students are believed to have died by suicide across the country a toll that deepened public anger over the state of the education system and how the government was managing the fallout.
The anger intensified further after Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, while hearing a case related to unemployment, referred to jobless youth as “parasites” and “cockroaches.” The remark triggered a wave of backlash online and, out of that outrage, the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) was born. The CJI later clarified his comments, but by then the damage had already been done.
Within weeks, hundreds of young protesters many wearing cockroach masks had gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, calling for accountability and Pradhan’s resignation.
Wangchuk joined the first CJP protest on June 6 and soon after announced he would go on an indefinite hunger strike until the Education Minister stepped down.
Hunger Strike at Jantar Mantar Enters 18th Day
The 59-year-old activist has now completed 17 days without food and has become the movement’s most recognisable face.
For much of the strike, Wangchuk steered clear of long public appearances as his health began to decline. On Tuesday, though, he addressed the crowd gathered at the protest site, acknowledging others who had joined him in fasting.
“Our fasting may not immediately bring resignations. But if it awakens people, then it has served its purpose,” he said.
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“One resignation alone changes very little. The day people awaken, every department of the Government of India will see change,” he added.
The contrast between the two chapters of this story is striking. In 2023, Pradhan and Wangchuk spoke publicly of joining hands to make the NEP succeed. In 2026, Pradhan is overseeing some of the most significant changes under that same policy while Wangchuk sits on an indefinite fast, demanding his resignation over what he calls a failure of accountability in India’s education system.
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