Kathmandu. The government is finally forced to kneel before the young Indian students who have been agitating for the last two and a half months to correct irregularities in scholarship examinations.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday night took to Facebook to address the protesters.
In a video released late at night, he announced that the government will bring a new bill with strict provisions against leakage of examination papers. The proposed legislation, which includes fast-track courts and tougher punishment for offenders, will be discussed in the Union Cabinet on Friday and is expected to be tabled in Parliament next week.
Social activist Sonam Wangchuk ended her 26-day hunger strike on Friday morning after the Centre assured her of action on key demands related to the student movement. Wangchuk ended his indefinite hunger strike at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. He said the decision was taken after long talks with the government “in view of the potential violence in the country”.
“Union ministers JP Nadda and Dr. In the presence of Jitendra Singh and senior leaders of the Supreme Body of Leh Ladakh, I have finally ended my fast after 26 days. Earlier, 65 members of parliament from various political parties had met me and signed a letter urging me to end my hunger strike. This was done after lengthy negotiations on various issues and in view of possible violence in the country. In the meantime, I ask you all to be very vigilant about not allowing any kind of violence to happen anywhere,” Wangchuk wrote on X.
After the Chief Justice of India called young students lazy and cockroaches, Indian students studying higher education in the UK started a social media campaign called the Cockroach Janata Party. The campaign garnered support from young students and their parents across India. Social activist Wangchuk also started a hunger strike putting pressure on the government to fulfill the genuine demands of the students.
Lawyers have also drawn the attention of the Supreme Court to the brutal suppression of school students by the government during the protests in Delhi.
Analysts doubt that the end of Wangchuk’s hunger strike and Narendra Modi’s video message will be the basis for the end of the movement. The opposition Indian Congress has also joined the protest.
