Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Saturday, 18 July 2026, sharply criticised the Modi government over the removal of activist Sonam Wangchuk from Jantar Mantar during a non-violent hunger strike, and called paper leaks, rising education costs, and student suicides 'critical issues for India's future.'

Context

Sonam Wangchuk, the Ladakhi engineer and education reformer known for founding SECMOL (Students' Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh), was removed from Jantar Mantar — Delhi's designated protest site — while conducting a non-violent hunger strike. Rahul Gandhi described the removal as 'wrong,' framing it as an instance of state force being used against peaceful civic dissent.

In his post under the hashtag #ChhatronKiGoonj (meaning 'Echo of Students'), Gandhi stated: 'The core tenets of the Modi government are Asatya and Hinsa' — invoking the Sanskrit and Hindi words for untruth and violence respectively — positioning the government's response to student concerns as both dishonest and coercive.

Policy Backdrop

Gandhi's statement arrives in the wake of a sustained crisis around India's examination infrastructure. The 2024 NEET-UG paper leak scandal, along with breaches in several other national entrance examinations, triggered mass student protests and drew scrutiny from the Supreme Court of India. The National Education Policy 2020 had promised sweeping reforms in school and higher education, but critics have pointed to persistent implementation gaps, rising institutional fees, and deteriorating exam integrity.

Student suicides linked to academic pressure and examination failures have become a recurring and politically charged issue, particularly in coaching hubs such as Kota, Rajasthan. Opposition leaders, including Gandhi, have consistently raised these concerns in Parliament and on public platforms.

Stakeholders and Impact

Sonam Wangchuk has previously led high-profile hunger strikes on issues ranging from Ladakh's statehood demands to environmental protection, drawing national attention each time. His presence at Jantar Mantar on an education-linked protest signals a broadening coalition of voices — regional activists, students, and Opposition politicians — converging on the same set of demands.

For India's estimated 250 million-plus student population, the issues Gandhi listed — paper leaks, affordability, and mental health — represent immediate, lived concerns rather than abstract policy debates. Youth activists and student unions across states have repeatedly organised at Jantar Mantar and state capitals, often facing administrative restrictions on assembly.

The government has not issued an immediate public response to Gandhi's post. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has in the past defended examination-reform steps taken after the 2024 leaks, including amendments to the examination-conduct law.

What's Next

Parliament's Monsoon Session 2026 is expected to see Opposition members, led by Gandhi in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition, press for fresh legislative action on exam-conduct reforms and student-welfare measures. Any escalation of Wangchuk's protest — or further administrative action against it — is likely to intensify political pressure on the government.

Gandhi's closing line — 'No amount of force can deter India's students, and those of us who love and believe in them, from raising these issues' — signals that the Congress intends to keep education and youth welfare at the centre of its Opposition strategy through the current session and beyond.