Medicos stage 'Dilli Aao Desh Bachao' protest rally

New Delhi, May 27 : In a show of strength against the Government on OBC reservation, striking doctors and medical students held the ''Dilli Aao Desh Bachao'' protest rally here which 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.

''We are not against reservation on economic grounds but we are against reservation on the basis of caste, which will disintegrate the society,'' Dr Neha Gami from Maulana Azad Medical College and Youth for Equality leader said.

''Even former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had criticised V P Singh government in the Lok Sabha in 1990 post Mandal Commission for dividing the country on caste lines,'' she added.

Talking about the overwhelming public response against caste-based reservations, she 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.

He said it was time that people across the nation took note of the fact that the policies of the government were detrimental to the public at large.

Attacking the Government, he said it should shun vote bank politics.

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

BJP MP and former cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu and 'Management Guru' and author Shiv Khera also attended the rally and addressed the protestors.

Disappointed with inclusive talks with the Prime Minister, the students and doctors said they had hoped for a better outcome from the discussion with Dr Singh.

''He is the Prime Minister.... If he does not address the issues raised by us then who will,'' said Bharti Shah a student from Lady Hardinge Medical College, while carrying a placard which read ''Bring Back Merit''.

''We are severely disappointed with the way the government has ignored our demands...but that will not deter us. We will go on,'' she added.

Heavy deployment of police and Rapid Action Force had been done in and around the venue.

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.

Yesterday, despite the ''positive and good'' meeting with the Prime Minister, the striking medicos decided to continue with the agitation till they received a ''written assurance'' from the Government on the issues raised by them. The striking medicos submitted a charter of demands to the Prime Minister which comprised setting up of a non-political judicial committee to review the existing reservation policy, white paper on reservation, exclusion of ''OBC creamy layer from reservation'', quota for economically backward and no action against the striking doctors and students.

Dr Manmohan Singh had assured them that the UPA Coordination Committee's reservation roadmap addressed concerns of all the sections of students and they need not worry about shrinking educational opportunities.

The Prime Minister told the 10-member delegation of the students and doctors that he foresaw a massive expansion in capacities of higher education system.

Dr Singh said the technical experts groups being set up under the Oversight Committee would examine ways and means of expanding the capacities.

''The Government is committed to the expansion and they could give specific suggestions to these Committees,'' he added.

The UPA-Left Coordination meeting, presided over by the Prime Minister, on May 23 decided to implement in letter and spirit the 93rd Constitutional Amendment enabling 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in higher educational institutions.

An Oversight Committee will be constituted to draw up a time bound roadmap for implementing the decisions and that the Committee would submit a comprehensive report by August 31, 2006.

A specific bill will be brought in the Monsoon session of Parliament in this regard.

The doctors and medical students of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Safdarjang, Guru Tegh Bahadur, Maulana Azad and the Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narain hospitals are on the strike.

Resident and Junior doctors of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya, Ram Manohar Lohia, Lal Bahadur Shastri and Ihbas hospitals had also joined the stir.

UNI