Sonam Wangchuk And CJP Missing From Politicians’ Statements As Oppn Parties Compete For Credit

Jagran Bureau, New Delhi | The 36-day-loing protest at Jantar Mantar over the paper leak issue ended on Saturday. The withdrawal of the agitation was announced by delegation of the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) - Saurav Das and Ashutosh Ranka after talks with the government representatives: JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh.

The movement was led by Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk, who was on hunger strike for 26 days, and US-return student, Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the CJP. However, it is perhaps a political manoeuvre that the names of these two were not on the lips of opposition party leaders either during the movement or now.

Political Ploy to Take Credit

In an attempt to take credit, Congress leaders are busy calling Rahul Gandhi a hero and distributing sweets, while Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav, and other opposition leaders are avoiding mentioning Wangchuk and Dipke, calling it a victory of the youth.

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Attempts to take political advantage of the youth movement led first by the CJP and then by Wangchuk at Jantar Mantar were consistently visible.

AAP And Congress Seen Competing For Credit

The clash over credit was first seen between the Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress. When Leader of the Opposition Gandhi launched a protest outside the movement, staging a sit-in at the Prime Minister's residence, several opposition party leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and Supriya Sule, arrived to join him.

This protest was contained within a few hours, but the brief detention of these leaders was portrayed as a major agitaton. However, the very next day after this show of solidarity, tensions emerged between the Congress and the Samajwadi Party in Parliament.

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Now, the movement has ended, a competition for credit began. Congress, in particular, is attempting to take direct political advantage of it. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge stated, "This is a victory for the united opposition, which raised its voice in the interest of students from Parliament to the streets."

Gandhi said, "Congratulations to the youth who took to the streets to protect democracy, the Constitution, and the future." Similarly, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, while crediting Rahul, stated that he had been raising student issues for a long time. She praised the role of the NSUI and Youth Congress in this effort, and victory sweets were distributed at the Uttar Pradesh Congress office.

Leaders Avoiding The Names Of Wangchuk And The CJP

None of these leaders mentioned Wangchuk, Abhijeet Dipke, or the CJP in their statements. Similarly, apart from Kejriwal, who himself built his political platform from such a movement, Akhilesh, no other opposition leader mentioned these movements' real architects even once.

In a single statement, AAP MP Sanjay Singh thanked Wangchuk and Dipke. It is believed that the opposition parties, fearing that the credit for success will go away to activists, are trying to make inroads into the vote bank by cheering for the youth.