Environmentalist and education activist Sonam Wangchuk has said his wife, Geetanjali Angmo, made repeated efforts to persuade Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to end his 26-day hunger strike, but did not receive a favourable response. Wangchuk said Angmo had been coordinating with the Congress leader in the hope that Gandhi would be present when the protest concluded.
"We were considering ending my fast through Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Geetanjali was working towards that. She was not against Rahul. She made every effort to see if Rahul Gandhi could break my fast, but there was no positive response," Wangchuk told India Today.
He said this was an important context because his wife later came under criticism over comments she made regarding the Congress leadership.
Wangchuk also addressed the circumstances surrounding the end of his hunger strike, rejecting allegations that he had reached a "midnight deal" with the Centre after ending the protest in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.
According to Wangchuk, his original plan was to conclude the fast in the presence of representatives from both the ruling alliance and the Opposition, as well as student leaders.
He said that when the Union ministers arrived after midnight, he proposed that photographs with leaders from all political parties should only be made public after he had officially announced the end of his fast.
"I told them the news would be announced on my terms, along with pictures of Opposition leaders. No images should be released before I make the announcement," Wangchuk said, adding that senior Intelligence Bureau officials were present during the discussion.
Wangchuk alleged that the understanding was not honoured, claiming that photographs of his meeting with the Union ministers were circulated before the agreed time. He said he had been waiting to collect photographs with Opposition leaders when an Intelligence Bureau officer informed him that images of the meeting were already being aired on television channels.
"They had assured me they would not release the photographs. That promise was broken," he said. The activist added that the incident had eroded his trust in political leaders across party lines. "I've lost trust in all these leaders," Wangchuk said.
Responding to allegations that he had struck a deal with the government, Wangchuk dismissed the claims, saying he could have negotiated much earlier had that been his intention. "I could have made much bigger deals. I could have asked to be made the education minister or sought something else. If making a deal was my objective, I wouldn't have gone on a 26-day hunger strike," he said.
Wangchuk maintained that his protest was aimed at securing long-term reforms and greater accountability in the examination system rather than seeking the resignation of any individual minister.
Reflecting on the nearly month-long agitation and the criticism that followed, Wangchuk said he had no regrets about his decision.
