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Striking students paint banners in blood

       New Delhi/Chennai: Scores of students donated blood in India's capital on Friday as they stepped up protests against federal government's proposed move for caste-based reservations in state-funded colleges. Resident doctors of the national capital's Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC) painted placards with strong messages against the proposed quota in blood.

     "Basically, we want to show that though we have been protesting for the past so many days, the government is not at all bothered. We are just showing that they have not taken a good step. We are not letting this go and that we are very desperate and very serious about it," said Nishant Sharma, a protesting Intern at the rally who too had painted the message in blood. The stir against quota refuses to calm down in the country as the government has decided to go ahead with the quota implementation from the next academic session beginning July 2007. The medical students and doctors belonging to the Other Backward Castes (OBC) also rallied in the capital to press for the implementation of the reservation proposal. "We are fully in support of the government's decision. But on the other hand we know the vacillating nature of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance-the ruling coalition) government and particularly the Congress. Therefore as part of JNU's (Jawaharlal Nehru University's) Students' union, we think it very essential to build up more and more pressure on the government so that in the coming monsoon session itself the government introduces a Bill for 27 percent reservation in the higher education (for the Other Backward Castes-the OBC). We don't want any dilly-dallying tactics on the part of the government," said Parimal, a former Vice President of the Students' Union at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

     Pro-reservation activists also rallied in southern Chennai to press for the implementation of the proposal. Across India, thousands of junior doctors, interns and medical students have been on strike for weeks in many cities -- from Kolkata in the east to Ahmedabad in the west -- crippling state health services. They have been protesting against the far-reaching government decision to more than double college quotas for lower castes in medical, management and engineering colleges. Despite the nationwide protests by upper-caste students and professionals, the government has refused to back down with an eye on millions of lower-caste votes, and has even threatened to fire junior doctors if they continue their strike. Under the new proposal, nearly 50 percent of seats in federally funded colleges and professional institutes in India would be reserved for lower castes and tribes, up from nearly a quarter now. Anti-quota protesters say with more seats reserved for lower castes, it will be harder for upper-caste students competing on merit to get into top higher educational institutes. Though India has officially outlawed caste discrimination, the ancient Hindu social system remains very much a reality and is a cause of tension and even killings in rural areas. In 1990, a government move to reserve more jobs for lower castes -- who have traditionally had less chances for quality education and prize government jobs -- led to dozens of upper-caste students burning themselves to death.

Anti-quota medicos get set for rally (Go To Top)

       New Delhi: Decks have been cleared for the staging of a "Maha" or huge rally on Saturday at New Delhi's Ram Lila Grounds by medicos protesting against the Union Government's decision to incorporate 27 percent reservation of seats for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs). According to the striking medicos, the rally, which is being organised under the banner of "Youth For Equality", has no political or violent agenda. Advertisements appearing in the major dailies of the capital are going with the slogan "Come to Delhi and Save The Nation". Claiming that this is their "last chance" to save the country from the malaise of caste-based reservations that could affect the future of the next generation, particularly children, the medicos have in their national appeal said that per say they are not against reservation, but the general public should give serious thought to the following questions.

     Does reservations benefit the really needy or the really greedy?; Does the current reservation policy have any scientific basis?; Will you allow the 1931 Census to determine reservations in 2006?; Has reservations worked in the last 50 years?

     Going one step further, the agitating medicos have recalled the non-caste statements made by Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi between 1961 and 1990, in which all three called for the creation of a casteless Indian society and to extend help to the needy on the basis of economic consideration only. The "Maha Rally" will take place two days after the medicos rejected President A.P.J.Abdul Kalam's appeal to call off their nearly fortnight-long anti-reservation stir. The medicos presented a charter of demands to Kalam, who assured them that he would ensure that the Government's promise - that the number of general category seats would not be affected with the quota for OBCs - is implemented. However, the talks were stuck on the issue of setting up of a non-political commission to examine the reservation policy and exclusion of creamy layer from the OBC quota. Dr.A B Dey from the AIIMS Faculty Association, who was also part of the delegation, said doctors were not against reservation but it should be "scientific and evidence based."

     The 12-member delegation meeting the President included, among others, members of AIIMS Faculty Association. Preparations for tomorrow's rally are taking place in Hostel Number 7 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). The medicos are reportedly on tenterhooks, chalking out strategies and alternative plans of agitation to get their voices heard in the corridors of power. Attempts are also being made to rope in the support of corporates chieftains like Rahul Bajaj, Vijay Mallya and the Ambanis. On Thursday night, the medicos had a 90-minute meeting with Union Minister Oscar Fernandes over the setting up of an expert's commission to review the government's current reservation policy. "We had discussions over specific issues like setting up of an experts commission to review the existing reservation policy," Dr Sasmit Sarangi, a representative of Youth For Equality, said. He said that the medicos' delegation had told the minister that the striking students were not totally against reservation, but wanted it for economically-backward sections of the society and not on caste basis. "It is a wrong message that has gone out that medicos are totally against reservation. We do not want it on caste basis," Dr. Sarangi said.

       Medical services remain crippled across the country, as doctors are refusing to work in a show of support to the medical students opposing reservations for the OBCs in higher education. This stance has been observed despite Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh insisting that the matter has been settled. Emergency services are functioning in most hospitals. Patients are the worst hit by two weeks of strikes by doctors and medical students. Out Patient Departments (OPDS) at various hospitals have also closed down in support of the anti-reservation stir. On Thursday, according to a TV channel report, a 45-year old patient died at the LNJP hospital in Delhi because he did not receive treatment. He was admitted for two weeks for treatment of an abscess. The hospital, however, denied the charge, saying the patient had suffered a heart attack and could not be saved. The channel further went on to claim that a six-month old baby from Bihar, which was suffering from pneumonia, was denied treatment after doctors at AIIMS in Delhi said any care was possible only after the strike is called off.

PM assurance to striking docs on quota (Go To Top)

        New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met a delegation of the striking anti-reservation medicos and assured them that the government would look into their demands with regard to the reservation issue. He told them not to worry over shrinking educational opportunities as he foresaw a massive expansion of the higher education system, which would see a huge growth in the educational opportunities available to all classes and categories of students. "The Prime Minister assured them (medicos) that the roadmap laid down in the decision of the UPA Coordination Committee addressed the concerns of all categories of students," Singh's Media Advisor Sanjaya Baru told reporters after the meeting between the Prime Minister and striking resident doctors and medical students which lasted for about an hour. AIIMS Director P Venugopal, Health Secretary P C Hota, Principal Advisor to Prime Minister T K A Nair and a delegation of about 10-12 medical students from Delhi and other states attended the meeting. The doctors' delegation also handed over a charter of demands to the Prime Minister.