Sonam Wangchuk thanks Sonakshi Sinha, Omi Vaidya for their supportive messages

A message from Sonam Wangchuk's office appeared on Sonakshi Sinha and Omi Vaidya's posts after they shared messages of solidarity amid his hunger strike.

In Short

• Sonam Wangchuk replies to Sonakshi Sinha and Omi Vaidya's support on Instagram
• Actors urge government to start dialogue with Wangchuk amid hunger strike
• Sonakshi highlighted Wangchuk’s protest for children’s future and system flaws

Engineer and activist Sonam Wangchuk has responded to messages of support from actors Sonakshi Sinha and Omi Vaidya through his Instagram account. The actors recently expressed solidarity with Wangchuk as his hunger strike entered its 20th day at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. They also urged the government to hold a dialogue with him. While Wangchuk remains on strike, his team thanked both actors through comments posted on their respective social media videos.

The response under both posts read: “Thank you for your solidarity. We truly appreciate your support. With gratitude, Office of Sonam Wangchuk.” Actor Imran Khan, who has also been vocal in supporting Wangchuk, commented on Sonakshi’s post and wrote, “Love this girl. The real Sona, actually fearless.” Many fans of Sonakshi and Omi also praised the actors for speaking out.

In her video, Sonakshi expressed concern over Wangchuk’s health and said, “I’ve never given a statement out like this, but today we can’t ignore him. Sonam Wangchuk. We all know him. We know what he has done for our country, what his achievements are and how many awards he has won.”

She added, “He is hungry. He hasn’t eaten anything. For whom is he doing this? He is doing this for the future of children who lost their lives. He is fighting a system which is not working properly. I know this. You know this. We all know this. A lot many people are still silent. I can’t stay silent. Whatever will happen, let it happen. No problem. I can’t remain silent.”

Sonakshi also urged the government to begin a dialogue with Wangchuk, saying, “Why is nobody listening? Nobody cares. Nobody is open for a dialogue.” She said she had decided to issue a video statement because it was time for her to speak up, and added, “I am not anti-national.”

In a video shared on Instagram, Omi Vaidya, who played Chatur in 3 Idiots, referred to the connection between Wangchuk and the character Phunsukh Wangdu from the film, played by Aamir Khan. He urged people to learn more about Wangchuk’s work and about the concerns behind his protest, while also expressing worry over his health.

Before Sonakshi, Imran and Omi, actors including Zeenat Aman, Prakash Raj, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Soni Razdan and Abhay Deol had also voiced support for Sonam Wangchuk and the CJP protest. On Friday, Aamir also expressed concern over Wangchuk's deteriorating health, while also clarifying that his character in 3 Idiots was not based on him.

Wangchuk has been on an indefinite hunger strike, demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over alleged irregularities in the education system.

The CJP's protest at Jantar Mantar has now entered its 28th day, with the July 20 "Sansad Chalo" or Parliament march emerging as the movement's next major mobilisation.

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