Pinarayi Vijayan Extends Solidarity to SFI Leaders on Hunger Strike at Jantar Mantar

Thiruvananthapuram: Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan has expressed solidarity with the SFI leaders observing an indefinite hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi. In a Facebook post, he said the students and youth of the country are raising a strong voice against what he described as the authoritarian rule of the Sangh Parivar and the Narendra Modi government, asserting that they will not surrender despite attempts to suppress them.

He said the message conveyed by SFI All India President Adarsh M Saji and Joint Secretary Aishe Ghosh through their participation in the hunger strike inspires everyone fighting for democracy. He described students as the force that will shape India's future and said no government should turn its back on their dreams, aspirations, and future. He added that the country needs a government that listens to students, engages in dialogue, and finds solutions. Pinarayi Vijayan also expressed solidarity and support for all students fighting to protect democratic rights and secure the future of students.

SFI has announced that the hunger strike will continue until Sonam Wangchuk is released. The protest is being held at SFI's demonstration site, "Kranti Corner," at Jantar Mantar. Alongside expressing solidarity with Wangchuk, the organisation is demanding that the Union government accept moral responsibility for the failures in the education sector, that Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resign, and that the National Testing Agency (NTA) be dissolved. The SFI Central Committee has also called on its units across the country to organise protest programmes in support of Wangchuk.

"This is a struggle to safeguard India's future. No matter how the police try to suppress us, we will not retreat even an inch. SFI has decided to establish hundreds of Kranti Corners across the country, where indefinite protests will be launched. We expect other student and mass organisations to join us, and we will continue this movement with strength," Adarsh M Saji said.

Aishe Ghosh said the events of the morning of July 18 were unacceptable. "A man who was peacefully observing a hunger strike, who could barely move and was seeking justice through silence, was taken away. If they stop one Wangchuk, lakhs of people will come forward demanding the resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan," she said.