GS2The Indian Express · Editorial
Anna Hazare to Sonam Wangchuk, a tale of two fasts and democracy
Editorial on the democratic value and limits of hunger strikes as a form of protest
SP
Samachar Pathshala Desk
Published 21 Jul 2026 · 1 min
Key takeaways
- Hunger strikes can be powerful political tools because they dramatise grievance and expose governance failures, but they lose democratic legitimacy when they become coercive.
- Anna Hazare’s fast drew strength from widespread public frustration with corruption and governance failures.
- Sonam Wangchuk’s fast revived debate on whether hunger strikes remain legitimate instruments of democratic pressure.
What happened
The Indian Express editorial compares Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption fast with Sonam Wangchuk’s recent protest. It argues that hunger strikes can turn public grievance into visible political pressure, but they also become problematic when they start functioning as coercion rather than moral appeal.
The UPSC angle
GS2GS4Essay
How UPSC may frame hunger strikes, democratic legitimacy, and protest ethics
UPSC may ask whether hunger strikes strengthen democratic accountability or distort representative institutions. The issue can also be used to discuss the ethical limits of protest, the legitimacy of non-violent mobilisation, and the need for reforms to flow through lawful democratic channels.
