As former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following weeks of protests over examination paper leaks, activist Sonam Wangchuk's wife, Gitanjali Angmo, praised India's youth, saying they had demonstrated to the world what it truly means to be a "Vishwaguru." Her remarks were widely viewed as an apparent criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whose government has often used the term "Vishwaguru" to describe India's global aspirations.
In a strongly worded post on X, Angmo lauded the students who had been protesting at Delhi's Jantar Mantar for more than a month, saying they had displayed courage without hatred, strength without violence, and patriotism without unquestioning obedience.
'They lived Sanatan Dharma'
"If anyone has shown what it means for India to be a Vishwaguru, it is our Gen Z. They have lived Sanatan Dharma, not preached it," Angmo wrote. She had been actively supporting the movement after Wangchuk was hospitalised during his 25-day hunger strike, which ended on Friday.
Her remarks appeared to directly challenge the Modi government's vision of making India a "Vishwaguru."
Comparing the movement with youth-led protests in other countries, Angmo said Indian students had shown it was possible to oppose injustice without turning against the nation.
She appeared to reference recent student movements in Nepal and Bangladesh that led to political upheaval and violence. Last year, protests in Nepal resulted in the fall of the KP Sharma Oli government, while a massive student uprising in Bangladesh in 2024 forced Sheikh Hasina to leave the country.
"Unlike many of their counterparts across the world, they have shown that you can stand firmly against injustice without burning your own country down," she wrote.
Although the protests against Pradhan remained largely peaceful, violence broke out on July 20 when demonstrators attempted to march towards Parliament. The unrest further intensified the movement, which ultimately culminated in Pradhan's resignation on Saturday.
Message to the BJP
Concluding her post, Angmo directed a pointed message at the BJP, suggesting the party could learn from the conduct of the students.
"Maybe it's time the Hindu nationalist party learnt a thing or two from these young Indians about Hinduism, nationalism, and what it truly means to be a Vishwaguru," she wrote.
In an earlier interview with India Today, Angmo had argued that the BJP did not embody either genuine Hinduism or true nationalism.
She cited the broad participation in the student protests, which brought together people from different faiths and social backgrounds, as an example of what she described as the true spirit of Hinduism.
"Everybody was there for a cause. That was a demonstration of what Hinduism is," she had said.
A Chevening Scholar from the University of Oxford, Angmo also argued that preventing peaceful protests and branding young demonstrators as "anti-national" did not reflect genuine nationalism.
"I am ashamed to say that the BJP calls itself a Hindu nationalist party. There is nothing about them that is Hindu, and there's nothing about them that is nationalistic," she had said in the interview.
