National Kisan Leader Rakesh Tikait Extends Full Support to Sonam Wangchuk’s Hunger Strike, Announces 20 July ‘March to Parliament’
SUNIL NEGI
New Delhi: In a major show of solidarity, national Kisan leader Rakesh Tikait on Monday visited Jantar Mantar along with hundreds of farmers and met the hunger strikers at the protest site, including climate activist Sonam Wangchuk who is on the 19th day of his fast.
Tikait assured the fasting activists of the farmers’ community’s “full and wholehearted support” for the movement demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. Addressing the gathering, he said, “Do not worry. Our tractors and trolleys are ready and we shall be participating in the 20th July Jantar March for the March to Parliament.”
The BKU leader warned that there would be attempts to derail the agitation, as was seen during the year-long farmers’ protest against the three farm laws. “They will also try to denigrate this movement’s image and hatch every possible conspiracy to damage this movement through different ways and means,” Tikait cautioned, and appealed to all participants to keep the protest peaceful and disciplined.
He said that on 20th July, farmers and activists from across the country will assemble at Jantar Mantar in support of Wangchuk and others who have been on hunger strike for 19 days. According to organizers, the march is being planned as a nationwide mobilization of students, teachers, environmentalists, and farming communities to press for education reforms and greater attention to the demands of Ladakh and the Himalayan region.
The protest at Jantar Mantar has drawn growing support over the past two weeks, with political leaders, civil society members and public figures visiting the site. Medical professionals deployed on court directions have been monitoring the health of Wangchuk and other fasting activists, amid concerns over prolonged fasting.
Tikait reiterated that the issues raised by Wangchuk regarding education, ecological fragility of the Himalayas and the rights of Ladakhi people are directly linked to the future of rural India. “When the voice of a scientist and teacher like Sonam Wangchuk is ignored, it is an attack on the conscience of the nation,” he said, adding that the farmers would stand shoulder to shoulder with the movement till the government responds.
With the announcement of the 20th July march, the protest is set to see a larger turnout at Jantar Mantar, as organizers expect participants from several states to join in tractors and buses.
