Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar on Saturday, 18 July sharply condemned the police action against activist Sonam Wangchuk, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike over the NEET-UG controversy, asserting that the agitation would press on regardless of the arrest. Speaking from Baramati, Maharashtra, Pawar warned that the ensuing monsoon session of Parliament — beginning 20 July — would open squarely on this issue.

Pawar's Condemnation of the Arrest

Pawar said the detention came as no surprise to the Opposition. 'We had anticipated that they would arrest him within five or six days, and that is exactly what has happened,' he told reporters. He argued that the core demand of the protesters — the resignation of the Union Education Minister — was entirely legitimate, given what he described as the minister's failure to safeguard the futures of thousands of students caught in the NEET-UG row.

Pawar accused the Centre of remaining a 'mute spectator' as protests grew, forcing other political parties to step in. 'When the government realised this issue was spinning out of their control, they resorted to arrest,' he said. 'Even if Sonam Wangchuk has been detained, the movement will not stop. The demand is completely justified and is being raised for the sake of the students.'

Opposition Unity at Jantar Mantar

Pawar highlighted the Opposition's coordinated response, noting that Congress leaders, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, and representatives of other parties had visited the protest site at Delhi's Jantar Mantar to publicly back the demonstrators' demands. He criticised the government for refusing to engage with Wangchuk directly. 'You have been in Delhi for 20 days, yet you could not find the time to meet him,' Pawar said, adding that the agitation would now carry over into the Parliament session.

Congress and NCP (SP) Pile On

Former Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole linked the timing of the arrests to the protesters' planned march to Parliament on 20 July. 'The protestors were scheduled to march to Parliament on the 20th. That is why the government has taken them into custody,' Patole alleged. He further claimed that the recently released NEET results contained 'massive discrepancies in the mark sheets' and characterised it as a fresh scam, alleging that the government could not conduct even routine examinations transparently.

NCP (SP) legislator Rohit Pawar alleged that after it became evident Wangchuk would not relent on his hunger strike, a 'panicked' central government forcibly shifted him from the protest site and admitted him to a hospital. 'What exact message does the central government intend to send through this? That they will crush the movement, but won't accept the agitators' demands?' he said, calling the government's approach 'extremely dangerous from the perspective of democracy.'

Parliament Session in Focus

With the monsoon session of Parliament set to commence on 20 July, the Opposition has signalled it will use every available procedural tool to raise the NEET-UG controversy and Wangchuk's detention on the floor of both Houses. This comes amid a broader pattern of Opposition coordination on student-welfare issues, with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also having held rallies focused on youth concerns in recent weeks. The government has not issued a formal response to the Opposition's charges as of the time of reporting.