Activist Sonam Wangchuk has claimed that leaders of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) were considering ending their protest after the police crackdown at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar on July 20.
Speaking on the PGX podcast, Wangchuk said the CJP leadership was deeply demoralised after the protest stage was dismantled and a large number of demonstrators left the site. According to him, the organisers felt that the movement had effectively collapsed.
Wangchuk recalled the CJP leadership telling him, “Now everyone has gone, our stage has also been broken, now there is no hope.” He said the organisers then asked him to help draft a message encouraging protesters to leave Jantar Mantar, rest at home and consider their next steps later.
Wangchuk said he prepared such a message, although it was ultimately not posted.
According to him, the situation changed the following day when young protesters began returning to Jantar Mantar despite the police action. Their return helped restore the confidence of the CJP leadership and encouraged the organisers to continue the agitation.
Wangchuk praised the young protesters for returning even after allegedly facing a lathi-charge. He said the morale of the leadership depended heavily on the number of people present at the protest site.
His account also shed light on discussions within the protest camp about ending the agitation. Wangchuk said the organisers had considered seeking Opposition support to end his hunger strike. One proposal was to approach Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and request that he break Wangchuk’s fast in Parliament, although attempts to contact Gandhi’s side did not receive a positive response.
The government later opened communication with Wangchuk through Intelligence Bureau officials. On July 21, Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met him at the hospital and urged him to end his hunger strike.
Wangchuk said his initial demands included accountability, compensation and a parliamentary discussion on long-term solutions. However, protecting protesting students from FIRs and legal harassment eventually became his key non-negotiable demand.
After Wangchuk ended his hunger strike, the CJP continued its agitation and maintained its demand for the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
Wangchuk said he supported the decision to continue the movement, arguing that accountability was important even if it did not immediately lead to major changes in the education system. He described the outcome as a limited success, with some government responsiveness but no clear evidence of a major transformation in education.
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