Leh: Activist Sonam Wangchuk has called for “India’s second Independence movement” ahead of the country’s 80th Independence Day.
This movement should bring about changes in how the country chooses its leaders, he has said, urging citizens to suggest “selfless, fearless” people of character and substance who can help shape India’s future.
India needs a “peaceful revolution”, particularly in the way political leaders are chosen, if the country is to remain a “respectable nation” by 2047, Wangchuk said in a post on X.
Highlighting the criminal cases against elected representatives, he pointed to how close to half of India’s MPs have such cases against them, while a third face serious charges such as murder, rape and kidnapping, as reported by Hindustan Times.
This was contributing to a growing “trust deficit” in the country, Wangchuk said.
He wanted to consult some of the “best minds” across India to brainstorm about what needs to change and how such changes could be brought about. However, he stressed that the conversation should not be limited to intellectuals.
Wangchuk called for the involvement of “selfless, fearless men and women of character and substance” instead, who could contribute meaningfully to the effort to reform the political system.
The activist, who is now in Ladakh, acknowledged that he did not know where such people could be found across the country and sought the public’s help in identifying them. He asked people to propose at least one such person from India as well as from their own region.
“Together, can we start India’s 2nd Independence movement?” he asked, framing the initiative as a collective effort to rethink the country’s political system and leadership ahead of 2047, the centenary of India’s Independence.
Wangchuk had earlier extended his support to student leader Devendra Nath Mahato, who is on an indefinite hunger strike in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in the JPSC, JSSC CGL and other competitive examinations.
Mahato had said that during their conversation, Wangchuk assured him of continued support for the students’ agitation in Jharkhand. Mahato agreed to consume water and salt following that assurance but said he would continue his indefinite hunger strike.
The activist’s intervention came weeks after he emerged as a prominent face of a student-led protest at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar over the NEET UG 2026 paper leak and other irregularities in the education system.