# Pt.5 | Who Cares About Sonam Wangchuk? | Youth Apathy & Govt Indifference Killing Protest? | Akash B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2Q2lpsGrWU

[00:00] Sonam Wangchuk, one of our country's renowned innovators, educators, and environmentalists.
[00:05] He has been on a hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for the past 17 days.
[00:10] His condition has gone from bad to worse over the last two days.
[00:13] Doctors say that by not eating for so long, his body has entered a dangerous phase.
[00:19] He has lost more than 8 kilograms of weight.
[00:22] Blood sugar, blood pressure, everything has gone below normal.
[00:26] But this 59-year-old Gandhian continues to fight even today, hoping that...
[00:32] ...that in Godse raj, someone would finally heed the plea of his and millions of other young people.
[00:38] But why is Sonam Wangchuk doing all this?
[00:42] Who is going to listen to him?
[00:46] Who cares whether he lives or not?
[00:50] When the Cockroach Janata Party becomes a viral sensation on the internet, and when Abhijeet Dipke decides to protest at Jantar Mantar, a prominent name that emerges among those supporting him is Sonam Wangchuk.
[00:59] He has been working to improve Ladakh for decades.
[01:02] The country and the world came to know about him when the character of Phunsuk Wangdu in 3 Idiots was based on him.
[01:09] Today, that very Phunsuk Wangdu is sitting on a hunger strike for students across the country.
[01:16] But perhaps those very students do not particularly care.
[01:20] First the NEET paper and then UGC NET paper leaked.
[01:24] Then, major irregularities come to light regarding the evaluation of CBSE Class 12 papers.
[01:28] More than 60 paper leaks in seven years—at least the ones we know about.
[01:33] The country's future was being auctioned off.
[01:37] This is where public-spirited individuals like Sonam Wangchuk come into the picture.
[01:41] Neither affiliated with any political party, nor has any political ambitions.
[01:45] He simply wants accountability and accountability from this system.
[01:49] The resignation of a minister who has played with the lives of lakhs of people.
[01:54] There is no debate.
[01:56] But he is ready to risk his life to change this system.
[01:56] The youth do not understand this.
[02:04] And this work is being done for the youth so that the future of the coming generation can be better.
[02:09] So that the Govt cannot ignore the voice of youth.
[02:12] But is he under the misconception that the country's youth are with him in this campaign?
[02:19] Standing by him in this struggle?
[02:19] I am certainly no Gandhi.
[02:23] I wanted to say this.
[02:23] I am not a hero.
[02:23] I am a common citizen who did not turn his back on responsibilities.
[02:28] That is exactly what I want from you all as well.
[02:33] Do not look for a hero in anyone else.
[02:33] Be your own hero and fulfill your responsibilities.
[02:40] Sonam Wangchuk has done a great deal of work to address issues related to education and water in Ladakh.
[02:47] This Ladakhi mechanical engineer even designed high-altitude tents for the Indian Army.
[02:53] So that they can keep our country safe from China.
[02:56] Thousands of Ladakhis today regard him as the leader of their political struggle.
[03:01] Because he led protests to secure the Sixth Schedule rights for the people of Ladakh.
[03:08] For which he even had to spend 170 days in jail.
[03:12] Because the government had thrown him into jail under the National Security Act.
[03:17] When the case goes to court—the government fails to produce even a single piece of evidence against him.
[03:24] But the irony of our country is that the person who was honored with the Magsaysay Award...
[03:29] The person who ought to be accorded respect by the country's government is currently on a hunger strike.
[03:35] And the government isn't even offering a glass of water.
[03:38] On the contrary, the meme culture that gave birth to the Cockroach Janata Party.
[03:42] The IT cell is using those very memes to humiliate Wangchuk.
[03:47] Efforts are underway to discredit him.
[03:50] A highly coordinated attempt is being made to turn his hunger strike into a joke.
[03:56] Perhaps influenced by all this, the youth of the country today are shooting themselves in the foot.
[04:03] In today's episode of Deshbhakt, even after 17 days of fast.
[04:07] Neither the country's youth is supporting Wangchuk seriously nor the government is taking seriously.
[04:12] Is there no longer any room for Gandhian Satyagraha in Gandhi's country today?
[04:17] Is Godse gaining ground in our country?
[04:20] Satyagraha and hunger strikes—which once held the power to transform our country...
[04:26] Has that power vanished from them now?
[04:29] If Wangchuk's effort, his sacrifice—fails...
[04:33] So, it is important to know what impact it will have on the youth and the coming generation.
[04:40] Don't do a half-baked job like a politician.
[04:43] Hit the bell icon along with the subscribe button.
[04:46] Politicians always do only half the job.
[04:49] But have the youth also done only half the job?
[04:51] Has young India failed Sonam Wangchuk?
[04:55] It has failed to stand by his side?
[04:58] Let's rewind to just a few weeks ago.
[05:00] I am talking about May 3, 2026.
[05:02] NEET-UG is conducted across the entire country.
[05:04] It had not been even a few hours since the exam ended that the news came that
[05:09] The exam, which was attempted by more than 20 lakh students, had already been leaked.
[05:15] As always, the government first goes into denial mode.
[05:18] But then, when the situation starts getting out of hand, an inquiry is ordered.
[05:22] And then, the exam had to be cancelled.
[05:22] The public pressure was immense.
[05:27] Some students lose heart when such high-stakes exams are cancelled.
[05:33] Across the country, 21 children take their own lives out of despair.
[05:37] An uproar was already erupting over this matter.
[05:37] The slumbering youth was waking up.
[05:42] Then, major irregularities surfaced in the evaluation of the CBSE Class 12 papers.
[05:49] A child's result is handed over to someone else.
[05:53] ...copy not checked completely.
[05:56] When students raised this issue on social media and brought it into the spotlight...
[06:00] Prominent figure in the state run media began humiliating them by calling them Pakistanis.
[06:07] However, when matters went too far, the option to have the answer sheets rechecked was provided.
[06:12] And a huge systematic problem emerged.
[06:15] Just as tensions were already running high,
[06:18] the CJI called a group of activists and unemployed youth "cockroaches" during the hearing of their case.
[06:26] However, the Chief Justice clarified that
[06:28] He was not insulting students or the youth.
[06:33] He was talking about a specific case.
[06:33] But it's like a spark igniting gunpowder.
[06:36] An enraged youth turns the cockroach into the symbol of protest, and the 'Cockroach Janata Party' is born.
[06:43] Within a week, this party's Instagram account garners more than 20 million followers.
[06:49] The anger of the youth becomes clearly visible.
[06:53] Meanwhile, Abhijeet Dipke, founder of the Cockroach Janata Party, arrives in India.
[06:56] A protest at Jantar Mantar is called for.
[06:56] Sonam Wangchuk extends his support to this movement.
[07:02] Even knowing that the government had previously imprisoned him on made up charges...
[07:09] NSA could be invoked again
[07:09] One of the main demands of the 'Cockroach Janata Party' is the resignation of Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan.
[07:16] But the CJP perhaps had no idea that a minister in the BJP government does not admit to making a mistake.
[07:21] ...does not resign.
[07:24] This is new India.
[07:24] Ministers don't resign...
[07:28] This isn't the UPA government; it's the NDA government.
[07:28] But the cockroach Janata Party remains firm on its demands.
[07:31] Sonam Wangchuk takes up the responsibility of taking this protest to the next level.
[07:37] When he goes on a hunger strike on June 28th, demanding Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation.
[07:43] Seventeen days have passed since this hunger strike began on June 28.
[07:48] But no such miracle occurred while recording this episode...
[07:52] ...where Dharmendra Pradhan suddenly remembers his moral responsibility and tenders his resignation.
[07:59] It is unfortunate that no one in the government is even taking the initiative to engage with them.
[08:07] It appears as though the Modi govt is ignoring these protests, just as it did the Shaheen Bagh, farmers', and wrestlers' protests.
[08:15] Like this isn't even a protest at all.
[08:15] We have been talking about this attitude of the government.
[08:20] In almost every one of our videos... but now it is time... that we also discuss the attitude of our youth.
[08:27] Because I believe the government takes action when public pressure builds up.
[08:32] The question I want to ask you today is: is there public pressure?
[08:32] Is there pressure from the youth?
[08:38] Never mind the streets—can you sense that pressure in the drawing rooms, or in the digital media space?
[08:45] You might remember this dialogue from the movie Nayak.
[08:45] If not, let me remind you.
[08:57] A disabled young man garlands Anil Kapoor—the one day CM, and says...
[09:06] This country has become just like me.
[09:06] Please lift it up and get it moving again.
[09:12] Just a single line persuades protagonist Shivaji Rao to enter politics.
[09:16] I am not trying to sound filmy here.
[09:19] But Sonam Wangchuk, too, must have gone on a hunger strike with similar expectations from the country's youth.
[09:25] There was no need for him to come thousands of kilometers from Ladakh and face the heat, humidity and dirt of Delhi.
[09:34] To risk his life.
[09:38] His career had already become so successful 16 years ago that Aamir Khan himself played his character.
[09:44] But he felt that if he led by example, the youth of the country might stand with him.
[09:51] Everyone will come together to try and get this crippled system running again.
[09:57] But the amount of traction his hunger strike has received so far—and I am not talking about only offline, but also online.
[10:04] Looking at the amount of traction they have—or haven't—received, it seems like.
[10:09] No one is all that concerned about the country's education system.
[10:13] Cockroach Janata Party has around 22 million followers on Instagram.
[10:17] However, today you will see less sympathy for this protest on social media; you will see more mockery.
[10:23] Obscene memes featuring Sonam Wangchuk's photo.
[10:28] ...are being shared by the youth of the country—or at least by a certain section of them.
[10:35] As if Sonam Wangchuk is fighting a personal battle.
[10:39] Attempts are being made to trivialize his hunger strike through these memes.
[10:42] Attempts are being made to discredit the movement.
[10:44] The IT cell is using social media for this purpose.
[10:48] ...using the very same memes against the Cockroach Janta Party that it had originally used to gain popularity.
[10:56] There are plenty of examples, but take a look at this specimen.
[10:59] Wangchuk should become a food blogger.
[11:01] Mocking the hunger protest.
[11:05] Or one in which he is begging for food.
[11:09] As if he is not on a hunger strike, he is begging.
[11:12] Some saying donate money, or some saying resign, I am very hungry.
[11:18] The sad part is not that such memes are being created.
[11:23] If you look closely at this meme, it has received 20,000 likes and 22,000 shares.
[11:29] The handle is called Unemployed Hun.
[11:32] It is the country's unemployed youth—whose minds are idle and who see no future for themselves—are circulating these memes.
[11:40] I acknowledge that someone might be running a 'meme factory' to make these memes.
[11:46] Regardless of the intent...
[11:46] The question that arises is that there are thousands of young people who are viewing and sharing these memes, and having a laugh at them.
[11:54] Has their future become so bright and golden that it is now ache din for them?
[11:59] Or perhaps they simply cannot see a future?
[12:02] It is possible that some of these very youths will be the ones cramming themselves into trains and buses to take an exam.
[12:11] They will travel hundreds of kilometers to take their exams in a dilapidated government school building.
[12:16] Then news of a paper leak will emerge, and they will find themselves out on the streets and face the police.
[12:22] We receive thousands of messages every month on Deshbhakt saying, Please raise voice for us.
[12:28] The exam paper has been leaked.
[12:28] A recruitment scam has taken place.
[12:28] Extortion is going on here under the guise of fees.
[12:34] But today, when someone is genuinely trying to fix the entire system... demanding accountability from the government...
[12:40] The youth of the country—for whom all this is being done—have gone absent from the class.
[12:47] The question is why?
[12:49] What are we waiting for?
[12:52] That there be more paper leaks in the country, or we might witness further travesties regarding history and science?
[12:58] Or perhaps more students will take their lives.
[13:00] Is that what we are waiting for?
[13:02] And as for those who have already passed away—do their family members stand with Wangchuk today?
[13:08] Because, as far as I know, Wangchuk is not fighting this battle for his own children.
[13:12] And where are the people who portrayed Wangchuk on the big screen and made so much money?
[13:18] Where are 3 Idiots director Rajkumar Hirani and producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra?
[13:23] Has Aamir Khan finally found some time away from weddings to at least send out a tweet?
[13:29] I am not talking about going to Jantar Mantar here.
[13:33] I am simply talking about standing in support.
[13:35] I am talking about raising one's voice.
[13:38] Just like Chatur did.
[13:38] A person who played the negative role in the movie.
[13:44] In reality, the hero turned out to be Chatur.
[14:06] We gave up hope of hearing anything from Bollywood a long time ago.
[14:10] The situation today is that even the country's biggest content creators play it safe to save their own skins.
[14:16] Meet Sourav Joshi, in case you don't know who he is.
[14:19] He is the country's most famous and popular vlogger.
[14:22] The truth about E20 accidentally slips out when he mentioned that it reduced the mileage of their Mercedes.
[14:29] Now, within just 24 hours, he is offering clarifications and repeatedly saying sorry.
[14:33] ...making a U-turn; and turned into Maafi Veer
[14:36] Right... he is minting crores of rupees every month.
[14:40] His audience doesn't even expect any truth from him.
[14:43] So why put yourself at risk?
[14:46] But what about the country's youth?
[14:49] Do they care only about their exams these days?
[14:52] Is all is well for them as long as the paper for their specific exam doesn't get leaked?
[14:59] Or are you the kind of parent who feels no need to speak up until your child falls victim to the system?
[15:07] Has the mass movement truly gone out of fashion in the country?
[15:12] Or is it all simply a question of convenience?
[15:15] It is easy to press the 'share' and 'follow' buttons while sitting on the sofa in the drawing room.
[15:20] But in reality, speaking out, taking to the streets, and engaging with people is very difficult.
[15:26] That is why staying silent becomes the easy option.
[15:29] Or perhaps the country's youth has begun to feel so helpless in the face of the system.
[15:35] ...become so helpless that they have given up hope altogether.
[15:38] ...whether he shares it, retweets it, speaks out, gets into an argument, takes to the streets, or goes to Jantar Mantar...
[15:44] Whether Sonam Wangchuk lives or no, the system doesn't care.
[15:44] The government doesn't care.
[15:52] If that is the case, then we ought to ask ourselves - why are we doing this at all?
[15:59] Is this even a life?
[15:59] Make episodes every day, fearing when it will be our turn.
[16:05] We could have done even more on YouTube.
[16:05] We could have created courses, too...
[16:15] When the country's future doesn't care... why do we care, why take such a risk?
[16:23] Like the godi media, we too would have played up the government's agenda in full force.
[16:23] Good returns, and zero risk.
[16:31] In Hitler's Germany, 13-year-old innocent girl Anne Frank watches as thousands of people around her disappear and are sent to concentration camps.
[16:40] Yet, she writes in her diary,
[16:47] In my opinion, every person who raises their voice against injustice—against what is wrong—thinks exactly this way.
[16:54] Despite everything, it will make a difference one day.
[16:57] One day, truth will triumph.
[17:00] One day, the country will once again embrace the Gandhian ethos, not Godse's.
[17:05] There have been intense efforts to kill Gandhi's ideology over the past 12 years.
[17:10] There is no debate.
[17:12] But in our country, truth triumphs.
[17:15] I believe that—albeit with a delay—truth does triumph.
[17:18] Young people today might find it amusing, but even after the end of British rule,
[17:23] In our country, through Gandhian methods such as hunger strikes, Satyagraha, and mass movements.
[17:28] ..people have forced the government to yield.
[17:32] In 1952, P. Sriramulu who was demanding a separate Andhra state, lost his life after a 58-day hunger strike.
[17:41] After his demise, the demand for creating states based on language intensified across the country.
[17:48] And then, the Central Government is compelled to lay the foundation for state reorganization.
[17:53] In 1974, Jayaprakash Narayan's Total Revolution movement began.
[17:58] This movement against corruption becomes so vast and so powerful.
[18:03] That Indira Gandhi had to impose emergency in the country.
[18:06] But what happens?
[18:06] Ultimately, the Emergency is lifted, and the Congress is voted out of power in 1977.
[18:12] People say that the Congress party's downfall began right here.
[18:16] The 2020-21 farmers' protest is also in this list.
[18:20] Many farmers lost their lives in this movement, which lasted for more than a year.
[18:25] However, following this intense protest, the government had to withdraw the three farm laws.
[18:31] Perhaps this was one of those rare instances where even the Modi govt had to back down.
[18:36] It was under this very govt that we also witnessed the anti-CAA protest at Shaheen Bagh.
[18:41] The Govt had to back down facing the 'Dadis' of Shaheen Bagh.
[18:45] Sonam Wangchuk who is not receiving support from the youth today...
[18:49] But when he protested in Ladakh for autonomy, today the government is saying that
[18:54] Yes, we will grant Ladakh an autonomous hill council.
[18:57] We will provide hill councils for all seven districts.
[19:01] The details regarding this are yet to be revealed.
[19:04] However, the battle Sonam Wangchuk fought for the people of Ladakh...
[19:07] In one way or another, the government is having to accept it.
[19:11] But fasting does not mean that your victory is certain.
[19:15] If you look at the case of Manipur's Irom Sharmila...
[19:18] Her hunger strike against AFSPA lasted for 16 years.
[19:22] The government forcibly fed her through nose.
[19:26] Her hunger strike was finally called off, yet AFSPA remains in force in Manipur to this day.
[19:31] Her hunger strike has all but faded into the pages of history.
[19:36] There are also some names of those who lost their lives while on a hunger strike.
[19:39] Yet, people paid no heed, and the case of G.D. Agarwal in 2018 stands out above all others in this regard.
[19:45] Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, a professor at IIT Kanpur.
[19:51] ...who dedicated his life to saving Mother Ganga.
[19:55] He sat on a hunger strike for 112 days, demanding the Ganga Protection Act.
[20:00] He kept writing to Prime Minister Modi, but no reply was received.
[20:06] He passed away after renouncing even water.
[20:09] Prime Minister Modi himself now pays tribute on Twitter.
[20:13] But the very Act for which he sacrificed his life has never been enacted to this day.
[20:20] Ultimately, the question that arises is: what is the place of hunger strikes and Satyagraha in today's India?
[20:27] Has this become outdated?
[20:29] A old relic?
[20:31] History bears witness that this works.
[20:34] Question we ought to ask is whether the country—especially the youth—is even making an effort to make this a success?
[20:42] Because every successful movement involves the participation of the public.
[20:47] Whether it's on the streets, whether in the media, whether it's in popular narrative, or in the creative arts.
[20:53] The entire country cannot go to Jantar Mantar. I acknowledge this.
[20:57] But is the entire country doing what it can?
[21:01] Whether one's anger, sorrow, anxiety, or time is being invested in this struggle in any way?
[21:10] We have the platform, so we are producing episode after episode
[21:14] See what you can do. Means are limited.
[21:18] I am not saying you give up everything.
[21:22] But are you doing what is possible within your limited means, or are you sitting totally silent?
[21:28] Or are you making a mockery of this entire protest—which is exactly what the IT cell wants.
[21:33] The example of G.D. Agrawal also reminds us that having the right intentions alone
[21:38] does not guarantee success... doesnt benefit country.
[21:41] If you do not have the public's support, if the media and mainstream discourse do not back you...
[21:47] then even a genuine struggle could go unheard.
[21:50] Sonam Wangchuk's hunger strike has now entered its 17th day,
[21:54] We still have the time and the strength to stop him from following the path taken by GD Agrawal.
[22:01] At Deshbhakt, we believe that
[22:03] This government has no faith in remorse, resignation, or discussion.
[22:10] Nor will they heed anyone's plea.
[22:14] What we have to do, those who speak of truth and non-violence, and who support truth
[22:20] They who support the youth. They will have to adapt their Gandhian ideas to a new form.
[22:27] People's voices need to be amplified in different ways.
[22:31] Just as the Cockroach Janata Party did in the early days... being innovative on social media
[22:37] It is possible that Gandhi's thoughts, his sayings—
[22:43] Those ideas need to be reworked and reshaped for the new generation before being presented to the government.
[22:51] But even after doing all this, even after reinventing
[22:54] Nothing is going to happen until the youth wake up and speak out in large numbers.
[23:00] I hope that frustration levels in our country do not reach as seen in Nepal and Bangladesh.
[23:07] Before that, the government should set aside its ego and pride and admit its mistakes.
[23:12] Look at how our country is falling behind, slipping backwards. How the youth are unhappy and disillusioned.
[23:19] The government can silence Sonam Wangchuk through a show of force. There is no doubt about that.
[23:25] Tomorrow, if they might even pick him up from Jantar Mantar we won't be able to do anything.
[23:29] However, the future of the country's youth will not be transformed through force; one must act with a cool head.
[23:36] We need to work through discussion. We must work together, demonstrating unity.
[23:40] Which I don't see happening right now.