Arjun: No Talk On Reservation Until After Elections

New Delhi, Apr 27 (UNI) Voicing pain that medical students trying to meet him received injuries, Human Resource Development Minister Arjun Singh today issued an open invitation to ''anybody who desires to...

meet me,'' but regretted he cannot interact on the reservation issue owing to Election Commission directions.

''I was pained by the news that a number of students of the Medical colleges wanted to meet me and were not allowed to come and see me and some of them received injuries in the process,'' Mr Singh said in a statement.

''My house is ever open to anybody who desires to come and meet me. Of course there has to be some limitations on numbers,'' he said.

''In the instant case the students wanted to interact about the reservation issue with me,'' the Minister said.

''Unfortunately, because of the directions of the Election Commission I am not in a position to interact with them and I have to maintain silence till the elections are over,'' the Minister said.

''Still if anybody wants to meet me I have no hesitation to meet them as may be requested,'' he said.

On Wednesday, students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences and other medical colleges protested against Singh's reported move on reservation in institutions of higher education.

Reports said the students assembled on Akbar Road, but were stopped by police from proceeding to his residence as they did not have prior permission.

The protesters raised anti-reservation slogans, denouncing the Minister's 'backward' move and demanding that it be scrapped.

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