'Colonial mindset endures': Mehbooba slams Centre over silence on Wangchuk's fast

NEW DELHI: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday criticised PM Narendra Modi-led Centre over its silence to educator and climate activist Sonam Wangchuk's prolonged hunger strike. Former J&K CM accused the government of having a "colonial mindset" for not engaging with him.Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike for 20 days, demanding the resignation of Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak.In a post on X, the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said, "The distressing scenes unfolding at Jantar Mantar, where Sonam Wangchuk is risking his life to safeguard the future of our Gen Z, evoke memories of the sacrifices made by our freedom fighters to liberate India from colonial rule. The British may have left, but the colonial mindset seems to endure."Questioning the Centre's silence to the protest, Mufti added, "How else can one explain the indifference of a democratically elected government that remains so callous that it refuses to engage with the youth at Jantar Mantar, the very generation that will shape India's future?"The Cockroach Janta Party's (CJP) protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar over alleged irregularities in the NEET examination began on June 20. Wangchuk joined the agitation on June 28 and has remained on an indefinite hunger strike since.The CJP has been demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan and Rs 1 crore compensation for the families of students who allegedly died by suicide over the alleged examination irregularities.The organisation has also called for a peaceful march to Parliament on July 20, coinciding with the first day of the Monsoon Session.On Friday, Wangchuk said he would "stay alive till July 20 at any cost" even as his hunger strike entered its 20th day.Doctors have warned that his prolonged fast has reached a critical stage and that the next phase could be alarming, with the possibility of organ damage if the hunger strike continues.However, Wangchuk has refused to end the fast, saying calling it off without any response from the government would send a wrong message.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.