Activist Sonam Wangchuk has strongly rejected allegations linking him to the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) movement and claims of its foreign connections, saying he decided to support the protesters only after examining ground realities, available data and speaking with members of the movement.
In a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, Wangchuk was questioned about the funding of the movement and alleged foreign connections.
Gupta jokingly asked, “Are you connected to the CIA? The way this all happened, it seems only a CIA agent could do such a clever thing.”
Wangchuk responded with a laugh, “If I am, I haven't figured it out myself yet. Maybe their hiring practices are so secretive that a person won't find out even 500 years after their death.”
Sonam Wangchuk was a key figure in the CJP-led protests at Jantar Mantar that began in June. The protests, over examination irregularities, led to the resignation of then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in July. Wangchuk also went on an indefinite hunger strike in support of the protesters.
Responding to claims concerning CJP founder Abhijit Dipke's education and alleged links with Pakistan, Bangladesh or the US, Wangchuk said he had not conducted research of the kind undertaken by a major investigating agency.
Asked whether his decision to support the movement was based on the data presented to him, he said, “Yes, it was based on data. Many officials, including our Lieutenant Governor (LG), were saying that this movement is getting huge support from Bangladesh, Pakistan and the US. When I looked at the data of their social media followers, I found that 94 percent of the followers are from India and only 6 percent are from abroad.”
Taking a humorous tone, Wangchuk added, “I thought that India is really becoming the 'Vishwaguru'. India started it and now the 'Cockroach Janata Party' is being formed in Pakistan too, so at least in protests, India is leading the world.”
Wangchuk said the presence of 6 percent foreign followers did not concern him.
“Having 6 percent foreign followers isn't a cause for alarm. If it were 30 percent, I would have been concerned. Seeing the 94 percent Indian supporters and the ground situation, I realized there was nothing wrong here. When I spoke to them on the phone and asked questions, I didn't feel they were working for any foreign power.”
He added, “Someone might object to the lifestyle or previous jobs of the youth leading the movement, but they were not acting at the behest of any foreign power.”
Wangchuk said he decided to back the protesters after becoming convinced that there was no ill intention behind the movement.
“When I was convinced that there was no ill intention behind this movement, I decided to support them. Especially when they said that they could be arrested as soon as they reached Delhi. I told them that I would join them and if they were arrested, I would go on a hunger strike. I supported them because I was fully confident that there was nothing wrong in it.”
Asked whether it was appropriate to trust a movement based solely on screenshots of data, Wangchuk said he remained open to further investigation. However, he maintained that he did not believe those involved in the movement were receiving funding from any external force.
