In a political masterstroke that has dramatically escalated the stakes at Jantar Mantar, AAP national convenor and former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday visited the Cockroach Janta Party's protest site, embraced founder Abhijeet Dipke, sat beside a weakening Sonam Wangchuk, and delivered the most audacious demand of the opposition season yet: sack Dharmendra Pradhan and make Sonam Wangchuk India's Education Minister.

The statement, delivered in Hindi and immediately amplified across social media, has thrown the BJP government onto the back foot — forcing it to respond to a proposition that reframes the entire debate around the ongoing paper leak crisis.

"धर्मेंद्र प्रधान को हटाकर सोनम वांगचुक को देश का शिक्षा मंत्री बनाया जाए।"

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) July 16, 2026

Translated: *"Remove Dharmendra Pradhan and make Sonam Wangchuk the country's Education Minister."*

The Jantar Mantar Scene

Kejriwal arrived at the protest site at 5 PM, as he had promised two days earlier. What followed was not a routine political photo-op. The former Chief Minister spent significant time seated on the ground beside Wangchuk, speaking privately with the Ladakh-based climate activist who has now gone 19 days without food.

Flanked by CJP's distinctive cockroach banners and thousands of supporters who have turned Jantar Mantar into a round-the-clock protest camp, Kejriwal addressed the crowd with the fire of his 2011 India Against Corruption days.

"Today, coming here, I was reminded of April 4, 2011," Kejriwal said, referencing the day he first sat beside Anna Hazare at this very location. "Three years later, that government lost power because it failed to listen and allowed arrogance to overtake accountability."

The warning was unmistakable — aimed squarely at Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"Sonam Wangchuk Is a National Treasure"

Beyond the political theatrics, Kejriwal made a deeply personal appeal to Wangchuk to end his hunger strike — even as he endorsed the cause for which Wangchuk is fasting.

"Sonam Wangchuk is a national treasure. He is an asset for this country. It has been many days. Please end your hunger strike. There are many other ways to put your message across," Kejriwal said.

But Wangchuk — who has lost over 9 kilograms, with blood sugar dropping to 80 mg/dL, pulse at 72, and blood pressure at 105/61 mmHg lying and 101/65 mmHg sitting — has refused to back down.

In a video message released Wednesday night, the activist rejected calls to end his fast, saying medical tests showed no immediate danger and that he could continue. He urged supporters to focus on mobilising for the July 20 "Demand for PM's Resignation" march to Parliament — the first day of the Monsoon Session.

SCBA and Delhi High Court Step In

The deteriorating health situation has drawn the attention of India's legal establishment.

The Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) on Thursday formally appealed to Wangchuk to end his fast. In a resolution, the association described his action as having "awakened the national conscience" but emphasized that the country needs him "alive, active and engaged."

SCBA President Vikas Singh personally visited Jantar Mantar and handed over a letter urging the activist to protect his health.

"India does not need you to die for a broken system. We need you to be alive, working and leading us from the front."

— SCBA letter to Sonam Wangchuk

Separately, the Delhi High Court directed authorities to monitor Wangchuk's health daily and provide medical intervention as required. Both the Centre and the Delhi government raised no objection to the arrangement. The court noted pointedly: "The life of any citizen is precious."

BJP Hits Back: "Kejriwal Using Wangchuk for Relevance"

The BJP's counterattack was swift and savage.

Delhi BJP president Harsh Malhotra accused Kejriwal of trying to use Wangchuk and CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke to "sustain his own political relevance." Malhotra pointed out the irony of Kejriwal — who first rose to prominence on the back of Anna Hazare's hunger strike in 2011 — now attaching himself to another fasting activist.

"The youth of this country see through these political gimmicks," Malhotra said. "That is why very few youngsters have actually expressed support for the CJP's cause."

The claim about "very few youngsters" stands in stark contrast to the numbers on the ground and online — the CJP's Instagram following now exceeds 21.9 million, more than double the BJP's official account.

National spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, in an interview with DW, went further, questioning the CJP's independence.

"It is very much the prerogative of the Cabinet now as to how it has to be dealt with," Ilmi said about the resignation demand. "Considering the support it gets from Arvind Kejriwal and the fact that the leader of this party has worked with Aam Aadmi Party, I just hope it's a genuine concern."

She added: "Right now, it seems a political thing against the BJP government."

The AAP-CJP Connection: Questions That Won't Go Away

Kejriwal's visit has reignited the persistent question: Is the Cockroach Janta Party an independent movement or an AAP front?

The evidence cited by critics includes:

• CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke's past association with AAP — including a 2024 photograph with senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia
• The appointment of CJP spokespersons with known AAP connections
• Kejriwal's early and consistent support for the movement dating back to his June 5 call for youth to "get onto the streets"
• The timing of AAP's embrace just as the movement gained massive traction

Dipke has consistently denied any current political affiliation. "I am not trying to hide my past," he said in a recent interview. "But the Cockroach Janta Party is not AAP. We are not Congress. We are not anyone's B-team."

Kejriwal himself dismissed the question at Jantar Mantar: "BJP sees a conspiracy in everything except their own failures. If students protest, they are 'AAP's B-team.' If farmers protest, they are 'Khalistani.' This government has run out of answers."

Kejriwal's Full Demands

Speaking at the protest site, Kejriwal laid out a clear set of demands:

1. Immediate resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as Union Education Minister 2. Systemic reforms to prevent future paper leaks — "so that children do not have to suffer a like fate again" 3. Accountability for the NEET-UG 2026 cancellation that affected 2.2 million students 4. A government that "listens to students and Wangchuk"

"Every year, exam papers get leaked and youth pay the price," Kejriwal said. "Paper leaks are a business worth billions and trillions. This racket involves very big-shot people. Until all of you take to the streets and force the government to act, this racket won't stop."

July 20: The March to Parliament

Everything now points toward July 20 — the first day of the Monsoon Session — when the CJP has called for a "Demand for PM's Resignation" march to Parliament.

With Congress, TMC, SP, AAP, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP (SP), RJD, DMK, and the Left already backing the movement, the march is shaping up to be the largest unified opposition show of force since the 2024 elections.

Kejriwal's visit — four days before the march — ensures that AAP will be visibly represented. His call for Wangchuk to be made Education Minister has given the movement a new, more radical demand that goes beyond resignation into the realm of systemic transformation.

The Human Cost

Amid the political chess, the human reality at Jantar Mantar grows more urgent by the hour.

Sonam Wangchuk, now on Day 19 of his hunger strike, has lost more than 9 kilograms. Medical reports show elevated uric acid levels indicating muscle breakdown, though ketone levels — initially dangerously high — have decreased.

Doctors attending to him have described his condition as critical but stable. The activist himself remains defiant.

In his Wednesday video message, Wangchuk said: "Tell them I'm not hungry. I'm watching. I'm waiting. The government can end this today, if it chooses to."

Wangchuk's Vital Signs — Day 19 - Blood Sugar: 80 mg/dL (dangerously low) - Pulse: 72 per minute - Blood Pressure (Lying): 105/61 mmHg - Blood Pressure (Sitting): 101/65 mmHg - Weight Loss: 9+ kilograms since June 28 - Ketone Levels: Decreased from initial highs - Uric Acid: Elevated (indicating muscle breakdown) - Medical Status: Critical but stable; under daily monitoring per Delhi HC order

What Happens Next?

The BJP government faces an increasingly untenable situation:

• A respected activist deteriorating publicly on hunger strike
• The Supreme Court Bar Association and Delhi High Court intervening
• Every major opposition party united behind the protesters
• A march to Parliament scheduled for the opening day of the Monsoon Session
• A former Chief Minister demanding the Education Minister be replaced by the fasting activist himself

The government's strategy of silence — no ministerial visit, no formal negotiation, no acknowledgment beyond dismissive statements — appears increasingly unsustainable.

As Kejriwal put it in his parting words at Jantar Mantar: "We were told this was just a joke. A cockroach movement. A social media trend. But the cockroaches are now at the gates of Parliament. And on July 20, this government will have to look them in the eye."