AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday, 14 July 2026 publicly backed Sonam Wangchuk's ongoing hunger strike at Jantar Mantar, New Delhi, demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, and announced he would visit Wangchuk in person on 16 July 2026 at 5 pm.

Context

Posting in Hindi on X, Kejriwal wrote: 'जंतर मंतर पर कई दिनों से CJP का प्रदर्शन चल रहा है। सोनम वांगचुक जी कई दिनों से वहाँ भूख हड़ताल पर बैठे हैं।' ('A CJP demonstration has been going on at Jantar Mantar for several days. Sonam Wangchuk ji has been sitting on a hunger strike there for several days.')

He added a direct appeal to Wangchuk: 'आप देश की धरोहर हैं' ('You are the heritage of this nation') — urging him to end the fast while pledging solidarity.

Policy Backdrop

Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakhi engineer, educator and environmental activist best known for founding SECMOL, has since 2023 led a sustained campaign demanding Sixth Schedule constitutional protections and stronger environmental safeguards for Ladakh. His protests have included marches and multiple fasts, drawing national attention to what activists describe as the region's lack of legislative representation following its reorganisation as a Union Territory.

Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), a civil-rights organisation, has been conducting the current demonstration at Jantar Mantar — the historic site in central Delhi that serves as the capital's designated protest ground. The exact set of demands being pressed in the current agitation could not be independently confirmed at the time of publication.

Stakeholders and Impact

Kejriwal's call for Dharmendra Pradhan to 'immediately resign' escalates the political temperature around the protest. Pradhan holds the Education portfolio in the Union Cabinet; the precise link between his ministry and Wangchuk's current demands was not spelled out in the post.

National opposition leaders have periodically extended support to regional hunger strikes at Jantar Mantar, using such moments to highlight what they characterise as central overreach on federal and cultural issues. AAP has a record of joining demonstrations tied to peripheral states and environmental governance, and Kejriwal's announced visit comes ahead of what observers expect to be high-level discussions on Ladakh's administrative status.

For Ladakhi residents and education activists, the backing of a prominent national opposition figure raises the visibility of demands that have so far received limited formal response from the Union government.

What's Next

All eyes are now on 16 July 2026, when Kejriwal has committed to appearing at Jantar Mantar at 5 pm. Whether the visit proceeds as announced, and whether it prompts a formal response from the Ministry of Education or the Ladakh administration, will determine the protest's next trajectory.

If Wangchuk heeds Kejriwal's appeal and ends his fast, the political focus is likely to shift to whether the government engages substantively with the underlying demands — or whether the agitation resumes in a different form ahead of the next parliamentary session.