'Dilli Aao desh Bachao' rally; docs return to work in K'nataka

New Delhi, May 27 (UNI) On the fourteenth day of their agitation against the Government on OBC reservation, striking doctors and medical students held the ''Dilli Aao Desh Bachao'' protest rally here today while junior doctors returned to work in several districts of Karnataka.

In New Delhi, ''Dilli Aao Desh Bachao'' protest rally was attended by scores of anti-reservation activists from across the country. Waving placards and raising anti-government anti-quota slogans 'Abolish Reservation' and 'Down with Reservation', thousands of protestors from several cities, under the aegis of Youth for Equality, paraded from Veerbhoomi and converged at the Ramlila Ground.

The protestors included resident and junior doctors from several hospitals from across the capital and several cities, including Meerut, Jaipur, Amritsar, Rohtak and Patiala, striking medical students, who are on an indefinite hunger strike since May 13, students from several institutions and organisations, including JNU, IIT, Delhi University, Indraprastha University and schools.

Support poured from people of all walks of life, including lawyers, resident welfare associations, parents, non-government organisations, senior citizens, chartered accountants and representatives from corporate houses, besides backing from the medical fraternity including IMA, DMA, senior doctors, professors and doctors from private hospitals.

Stepping up the offensive against the Government after the first round of talks with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh failed to resolve 14-day impasse on OBC quota , they were demanding a ''written assurance'' from the government on the issues raised by them.

Talking about the overwhelming public response against caste-based reservations, Dr Neha Gami from Maulana Azad Medical College and Youth for Equality leader said it was not just doctors' agitation, the government should be able to make this out from today's rally.

''This rally will give the Government the message that we mean business. We will not be bogged down and we will continue with the agitation,'' Youth for Equality leader Sasmit Sarangi said.

Angry students, wearing black arm bands, formed human chains as the rally progressed.

Disappointed with the 14-day stalemate, representatives of striking doctors and students this morning held an informal meeting with Minister of State without Portfolio Oscar Fernandes.

They said the meeting also discussed the ''mess and miscommunication'' Union Health Secretary P K Hota had caused after the negotiations with the Prime Minister.

''We conveyed to Mr Fernandes our demand of a written assurance about setting up of a judicial review committee and increase in the number of seats from the Prime Minister. The mess Mr Hota created was also taken up in detail... We will not back down without anything concrete,'' Dr Safal Singh, Maulana Azad Medical College RDA member and Youth for Equality leader, said.

He said last night Mr Hota had gone back to the Prime Minister with their demand of ''written assurance'' and when he returned back he was carrying an unsigned sheet of paper.

''Mr Hota was carrying an unsigned sheet of paper which only stated the UPA-Coordination Committee addresses concerns of all categories of students.... the students need not worry about shrinking educational opportunities as a massive expansion in capacities of higher education system would be undertaken,'' Dr Safal Singh said.

''The Health Secretary brought the PMO press statement to us as the concrete assurance from the Prime Minister. This is outrageous...,'' he added.

Dr Singh said they wanted the Government to finalise its negotiator first and then resume talks with them.

''The Government must first decide who it wants to talk to us....That ways things will be more clear,'' he added.

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