New Delhi, July 15, 2026 (Yes Punjab News):
Senior Congress leader, Lok Sabha MP and noted author Shashi Tharoor has issued an emotional open letter expressing solidarity with students protesting alleged examination irregularities and appealing to environmentalist and activist Sonam Wangchuk to end his fast, saying he had already succeeded in awakening the conscience of the nation.
The letter, posted on social media on Tuesday, was addressed to the protesters gathered at Jantar Mantar, millions of young Indians, Sonam Wangchuk, and the Government of India.
‘I Speak as Someone Who Believes in Merit’
Beginning on a personal note, Tharoor said he was writing not as a politician or Member of Parliament but as someone deeply concerned about the future of India’s youth.
Recalling his own upbringing in a middle-class family, he said his father worked as a salaried newspaper employee while his mother managed the household, raising three children on a single income.
He said that for families like his, merit was never a slogan but the only path to progress.
“Scholarships, fair examinations and honest results were the only way one salary could carry three children’s dreams,” he wrote.
Tharoor recounted his academic journey through schools in Mumbai and Kolkata, higher studies in Delhi, topping his university, qualifying for the Indian Institute of Management, and eventually pursuing international affairs abroad on a scholarship.
“Nothing was inherited; everything was earned by hard work—and examinations,” he said.
‘Broken Merit System Betrays Young India’
Expressing concern over repeated allegations of examination paper leaks, cancellations and irregularities, Tharoor said a fair, merit-based system remained the only ladder for students from lower and middle-income families to improve their lives.
“When that ladder is broken, it is not the privileged who suffer—they have other opportunities. It is the dreams and sacrifices of ordinary families that are betrayed,” he observed.
He added that the growing distrust surrounding competitive examinations had deeply affected an entire generation of students who had prepared honestly in the hope of securing a better future.
Message to Protesters
Addressing the students protesting peacefully at Jantar Mantar and elsewhere in the country, Tharoor said their anger should not be viewed as indiscipline but as the genuine anguish of a generation that felt let down despite following the rules.
He assured the protesters that they were not alone and said the nation was listening to their concerns.
Tharoor also appealed to millions of young Indians silently watching the developments not to lose hope, saying the country’s future depended on their talent, determination and resilience.
Appeal to Sonam Wangchuk
In a direct appeal to Sonam Wangchuk, who is on a hunger strike, Tharoor urged him to call off his fast.
“You have awakened the conscience of the nation; that is what a fast is meant to do. India needs your voice for the long road ahead,” he wrote.
He further noted that with Parliament scheduled to reconvene from Monday, elected representatives would have an opportunity to raise students’ concerns in the country’s highest democratic forum.
According to Tharoor, the issues should now be addressed through parliamentary debate and democratic engagement rather than by allowing a fast unto death to continue.
Call for Dialogue
Concluding his letter, Tharoor appealed to the Union Government to initiate meaningful dialogue with the protesting students.
He said engaging with young citizens was not a sign of weakness but of democratic maturity and statesmanship.
Urging the government to respond constructively, he stressed that India’s youth deserved to be heard and that rebuilding confidence in the country’s examination system was essential for safeguarding the aspirations of millions.
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