Wife sought Rahul Gandhi's help to end my 26-day fast, got no response: Wangchuk

Sonam Wangchuk said his wife approached Rahul Gandhi to break his 26-day fast but got no positive response. He also alleged ministers released images of the midnight meeting despite an assurance and said the episode deepened his distrust of political leaders.Rahul Gandhi and Sonam WangchukEnvironmentalist and education activist Sonam Wangchuk has revealed that his wife, Geetanjali Angmo, tried to persuade Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi to break his 26-day hunger strike, but did not receive a positive response.In his first interview since ending the fast, Wangchuk also alleged that Union ministers broke a promise not to release photographs of the midnight meeting in which he ended his protest.Speaking exclusively to India Today, Wangchuk said criticism that he had compromised by ending his fast in the presence of Union ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh ignored what had happened behind the scenes.Responding to allegations of a "midnight deal", Wangchuk said he had initially wanted leaders from both the ruling party and the Opposition, along with student representatives, to jointly participate in the ceremony marking the end of his fast. Wangchuk disclosed that his wife, Geetanjali, had explored the possibility of Rahul Gandhi breaking his fast."Actually, we were pondering on breaking my fast through Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, and Geetanjali was working on that. She was not against Rahul. She was working hard to see if Rahul Gandhi could break my fast. She didn't get a positive response," Wangchuk said. He said this context was missing when his wife later came under criticism for remarks she made about the Congress leadership.WANTED LEADERS FROM OPPOSITION, STUDENTS PRESENTAccording to Wangchuk, he agreed to end the hunger strike only after asking that leaders from Opposition parties and student representatives also be associated with the event.He said that because the ministers arrived after midnight, he proposed announcing the end of the fast with photographs of leaders from different political parties released together only after he formally broke the news."I said the news will be broken on my terms, with pictures of Opposition leaders... Nobody will release any images till I break the news," Wangchuk said, adding that senior Intelligence Bureau officials were witnesses to the understanding.'PROMISE WAS BROKEN'Wangchuk alleged that photographs of him with Union ministers were released before the agreed time."I was expecting to collect photographs of leaders from other parties. Within minutes, an IB officer came and told me the images were already running on television channels. They had pledged to me they wouldn't release them. They broke the promise," he said.The activist said the episode left him disappointed with political leaders across party lines."I've lost trust in all these leaders," he said.REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF A DEALDismissing suggestions that he had reached an understanding with the government, Wangchuk said he could have struck a deal much earlier if that had been his intention."I could have made much bigger deals. I could have said, make me the education minister. I could have made any deal. If I wanted to make deals, I need not have sat on a 26-day hunger strike," he said.He added that his objective was never limited to seeking a minister's resignation but to bring systemic reforms and accountability to the examination system.'NO REGRETS'Reflecting on the agitation, Wangchuk said he had no regrets despite political attacks and allegations from different quarters."Gold is tested through various phases. I take all these things in my stride. No regrets," he said, adding that he intended to return to his work in education and environmental innovation while continuing to support people fighting for just causes.- EndsPublished By: Akshat TrivediPublished On: Aug 5, 2026 22:41 IST