Medicos drop fast, to continue general strike

Chennai, Nov 23 (UNI) Medicos and house surgeons in Tamil Nadu today decided to call off their indefinite fast but would continue with the general strike till the Centre dropped its move to make one year rural postings compulsory, thereby extending the MBBS course to six and a half years.

A spokesman of the Tamil Nadu Medical Students and House Surgeons Council, spearheading the agitation, told UNI that they had decided to only call off the hunger strike after meeting Chief Minister M Karunanidhi this morning.

''We will continue to boycott classes and go ahead with other modes of strikes like taking out rallies, holding demonstrations and forming human chains till the Centre concedes our demand,'' the spokesman said.

When representatives from 14 government medical colleges met Mr Karunandhi this morning, the latter assured them he would write to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss and request them to drop the Centre's move to extend the MBBS course by one more year, considering the sentiments of students and their parents.

''To give respect to the Chief Minister, we have decided to call off the hunger strike, but wr will continue with the general strike,'' he said, adding there was no point in calling off the stir with their North Indian counterparts launching the strike.

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UNI