Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Wednesday threw his weight behind students protesting at Jantar Mantar over alleged exam paper leaks and recruitment irregularities, urging the Centre to engage with the agitating youth while appealing to climate activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his indefinite hunger strike, which entered its 18th day.
In an open letter posted on X, Tharoor said he was writing not as a politician but as someone "deeply troubled" by what is happening to India's young people. Recalling his own middle-class upbringing, he said merit, scholarships and fair examinations had enabled him to pursue higher education and build his career.
"Nothing was inherited; everything was earned by hard work and yes, exams," he said, asserting that a fair, merit-based system remains the only path to success for millions of lower and middle-income families.
Referring to repeated allegations of exam paper leaks and cancelled examinations, Tharoor said it is ordinary students who suffer the most when the system fails.
"When that ladder is broken — papers leaked, examinations cancelled, trust destroyed — the children of the rich and powerful do not suffer. They have other ladders. It is your dreams, and your families' sacrifices that are betrayed," he said.
Backing the students protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in the country, the Congress leader said their anger reflected the anguish of a generation that had "done everything right and was still betrayed". He urged young people not to lose hope, saying they were the future of the country.
Tharoor also made a public appeal to Sonam Wangchuk to call off his fast, saying the activist had already succeeded in drawing national attention to students' concerns.
"India needs your voice for the long road ahead," he said, adding that with Parliament set to reconvene on Monday, the Opposition would have an opportunity to raise students' issues in the House. "That's where the problem should be addressed, not by fasting unto death," he said.
At the same time, Tharoor urged the Narendra Modi government to open a dialogue with the protesters, saying engaging with young citizens was a democratic responsibility and a mark of statesmanship.
Meanwhile, Wangchuk's indefinite hunger strike entered its 18th day on Wednesday amid growing concern over his health.
According to Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijit Dipke, the activist has lost more than 8.4 kg since beginning his fast and is experiencing severe physical distress. Dipke said Wangchuk's blood pressure fell to 109/70 on Tuesday, the 17th day of the protest, and warned that he was continuing to lose muscle mass.
Despite repeated appeals to end the fast, Wangchuk has remained firm. "Don't ask me to end my fast. Ask the government why it refuses to listen," Dipke quoted him as saying in a post on X.
The CJP launched its protest against Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on June 20 over issues concerning students and examinations. The agitation entered its 26th day on Wednesday, while Wangchuk joined the protest on June 28 and has been on an indefinite hunger strike since then.