Sonam Wangchuk has been on hunger strike at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for the past 19 days (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)After maintaining a measured silence on the protest organised by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) seeking the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, the Congress Thursday appealed to activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his hunger strike. The Congress said it shared his “anguish and outrage” on the alleged lack of accountability within the Narendra Modi government for the “collapse of the examination system”.Wangchuk is fronting the protest by the CJP demanding the resignation of Pradhan over a string of exam paper leaks and student suicides, and his hunger strike entered the 19th day Thursday.In what was the first comment by a top Congress leader, K C Venugopal, party general secretary (organisation), said the Congress has been demanding Pradhan’s resignation for over a month and a half.Appealing to Wangchuk to end his fast in view of his health condition, Venugopal said in a post on X, “His concerns are our concerns and that of other Opposition parties as well. Rest assured, we will continue to confront the Modi government and demand the Education Minister’s resignation.”Shri Sonam Wangchuk has now been on a hunger strike for 19 days, demanding the resignation of the Union Education Minister.The Indian National Congress has been making this very demand for over a month and a half. We share the anguish and outrage that Shri Wangchuk ji feels,…— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) July 16, 2026https://platform.x.com/widgets.jsIn an interview with The Indian Express on Tuesday, Wangchuk said that resignation or accountability is merely the starting point. “The door must then open to determine the right course of action. This issue must be debated during the Monsoon Session of Parliament. And to formulate those broader reforms, the government should rope in these young people or educationists like me,” he had said.Wangchuk also received support from Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who Thursday said that politics must have room for compassion, as he hit out at the Centre for not approaching activist Sonam Wangchuk.Express View | Government must talk to Sonam Wangchuk, that’s its duty“The Education Minister should either resign or be removed from his post,” Abdullah told reporters in Srinagar.Story continues below this adHe added, “The surprising thing is that it has been 18 days, perhaps the 19th day is going on. He has lost around 9 kg, and it is affecting his health. But the government is not budging, not appealing to him in any way to stop his hunger strike. Politics has its place, but somewhere there should also be a place for humanity and compassion.”Comparing the Centre’s approach towards the Anna Hazare-led protest during the UPA rule, Abdullah said the then prime minister Manmohan Singh sent his ministers to persuade the protesters to break their hunger strike and come to the path of dialogue.“But no attempt has been made yet to talk to Wangchuk. We don’t know what the government’s attitude will be in the coming days, but we are definitely concerned about Wangchuk’s health,” he said.