Quota issue: Nation-wide protest rally on May 20

New Delhi, May 19: Striking doctors and medical students have called for a nation-wide rally tomorrow to press for their roll-back demand of the Government's proposal of 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions.

In Delhi, the march, being held under the banner of 'Youth for Equality', will commence at the Maulana Azad Medical College and culminate at Samatha Sthal.

Simultaneously, students and doctors in several cities, including Ahmedabad, Guwahati, Shimla, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Faridkote, will also stage rallies.

''Tomorrow's rally will be a show of strength. We want to convey to the Government that we will not call off the agitation, 'Youth for Equality spokesperson Sasmit Sarangi told UNI.

He said the striking students and doctors will take the the agitation to its logical end.

''We will not be deterred by notices, termination letters or police action.... We will make the government reconsider its decision,'' he added.

Mr Sarangi said since the negotiations with the government had failed, the students and doctors were not left with any other option but for protests.

Criticising the Government for its apathy towards the striking doctors and students, he said the authorities were ''not concerned about the common man''.

About 100 of the over 180 fasting students in AIIMS have been admitted to the AIIMS casualty unit due to dehydration and other complications. The hunger strike began on at AIIMS on May 13.

Medical services in Delhi's five premier government hospitals including AIIMS and LNJP, remained affected on the sixth day today due to the strike.

The first round of negotiations over the OBC reservation impasse failed yesterday, with the students rejecting Government's assurance not to disturb the general category seats.

''We conveyed our decision of continuing with the strike to Mr Fernandes at the meeting. The government's assurance that general category seats will not be reduced is not acceptable to us,'' Youth for Equality leader Dr Neha Gami.

The students and doctors took the decision at an emergency meeting of the Executive Council of the 'Youth for Equality', after talks with Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and Mr Fernandes earlier in the day.

Members of the AIIMS Faculty Association this morning joined the fasting students, opposing the Government's proposal of 27 per cent for OBC in higher educational institutions.

''The government needs to urgently respond to the demands of the students and doctors.... We are lending our full support to the agitation,'' AIIMS Faculty Association President A B Dey said.

JNU, IIT, Delhi University, Indra Prastha University, school students, lawyers and parents of the fasting students have also lent support to the agitation. The parents are conducting a 'hawan' in AIIMS for the well being of striking student and doctors.

UNI

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