ACTIVIST SONAM Wangchuk’s decision to end his fast in the presence of Union Ministers J P Nadda and Jitendra Singh may have come under the scanner, but those who have been a part of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement acknowledge that his role was crucial in mobilising those who generally sit on the fence when it comes to political issues.On May 23, two weeks before Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) founder Abhijeet Dipke landed in New Delhi from the US, environmentalist and educationist Wangchuk extended support to the viral “cockroach” movement. Wangchuk described himself as an “honorary cockroach” and said the government should engage with the concerns of the youth rather than suppressing their digital expression.At the time, Wangchuk was among the many in civil society who were extending their support to the online movement. No one knew that in two months the activist would play a crucial role in galvanising thousands of students to join the protest.One of the crucial moments for the movement was on June 28 when Wangchuk and some AISA activists announced they will start an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.“What Wangchuk Sir did for us was help us reach out to those who did not take the protest seriously. When such young people saw that a man as old as Wangchuk Sir had gone on a hunger strike for them, there was more support for the movement. But this support didn’t translate into crowds in the first few days,” said a CJP volunteer who was present at Jantar Mantar from Day 1 of the movement.There were days when 50-100 people came to the protest site. “On many days, we did press briefings to ensure that the local media covered the protest because we didn’t want it to end,” said an AISA leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University.AISA’s roleStudents of JNU, especially those belonging to AISA, kept the movement going on days when the crowd was lean. AISA is affiliated to the CPI(M-L), whose leader N Sai Balaji, a former JNUSU president, played an important role in mobilising students from JNU and other universities in Delhi.The turning pointStory continues below this adIt was Wangchuk’s removal from the protest site on July 18 that proved to be the turning point of the movement. As visuals of the activist being forcibly taken away by police went viral, the crowds at Jantar Mantar started swelling. It was also the weekend, so people found time and reached the protest site in groups.The call by the CJP to march in protest saw massive crowds fill up the streets in and around Jantar Mantar. Even those who had never attended a protest started reaching the protest site.The draw for the youth and the ‘Gen Z’ was that if a man close to 60 years can fast in protest for more than 20 days, those for whom he is fighting should also be in attendance.Then came July 20, the day of the ‘Sansad Chalo’ march, when videos of students being teargassed and lathicharged by police started doing the rounds on social media. The protest at Jantar Mantar suddenly became a nationwide movement.Story continues below this adAfter Monday, the protest took on a life of its own. The overwhelming response from the youth convinced the CJP leaders that the protest will culminate in Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation.After Monday’s clashes, the protest became all about Gen Z versus the government and Pradhan. Even Wangchuk’s letter to the protesters taking a softer line on Pradhan’s resignation had no bearing on the movement. When he ended his fast early Friday (July 24), the protesters stayed put at Jantar Mantar. They had just one demand: “Pradhan must go.”While Wangchuk’s fast galvanised a massive youth movement in Delhi and across the country, the protest against paper leaks became bigger than any leader, forcing the government to give in to the demands, including the exit of the Education Minister.Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More Tags:Sonam Wangchuk