Talks between Medicos, Govt inconclusive; Strike continues

New Delhi, May 28 (UNI) The deadlock over the OBC reservation continued on the 15th day today as yet another round of negotiations between the striking medicos and the Government remained inconclusive.

Representatives of the striking students and doctors this morning held a marathon meeting with Minister of State without portfolio Oscar Fernandes, Union Health Secretary P K Hota and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister T K A Nair at the PMO.

The talks were ''disappointing'' as they failed to deliver the ''desired results'', the students and doctors said.

''The Government is harping on the same stand and it has not budged an inch from its rigid stand.... The talks were inconclusive,'' Youth for Equality leader Dr Harsh Kumar said.

He said the Government has asked for more time to discuss the demands and promised to get back to them.

''We had asked for a written assurance as a concrete measure on our demands from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh but that not been given to us. The Government is yet to deliberate on the issue,'' he added.

After the meeting, Mr Fernandes said the Government at present was focusing on increasing the number of seats in the general category.

''We have told them that the general category seats in educational institutes will not be reduced... Not a single student will be affected,'' he added.

He said the students have been assured that the OBC reservation would be introduced from the next acamdemic year.

''There was a feeling that OBC reservation would be introduced this year itself, now the government has said it would be introduced from next year. The students have one full year to negotiate," he said, claarifying that the reservations will be applicable from June 2007.

Dr Kumar said the agitation was continuing and the General Body Meeting of the Youth for Equality will hold detailed discussion on the out come of today's meeting.

The striking medicos again 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, number of general category seats not to be disturbed a 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 Kumar said during the meeting XXX Eds pick up here from line one para one of DI 34 AGITATION-QUOTA-PMO TWO LAST NEW DELHI.

UNI NR VC1653