PM meets medicos

Doctors spurn offer, continue with agitation

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today met All India Institute of Medical Sciences students after keeping them waiting for an appointment for over a fortnight since they started an agitation against the proposed reservations in higher education.

He promised them a 'huge expansion' in higher education and urged them to give up their strike. But the students said they were not happy with the offer and would continue with the agitation.

A statement from the prime minister's office said that he had told the students that the road map being made for reservations would take into account ways and means of expanding capacity so that interests of all students were taken care of.

An oversight committee was being constituted comprising academic and technical experts who would advise on the possibilities for expansion. This would be done in such a way that general category seats would in no way be affected, he said.

The National Human Rights Commission has also appealed to the students to call off their strike in the interest of the sick and ailing from the weaker sections of society who are mostly affected by the ongoing agitation of doctors.

It asked the government to work out reservations in a way as to not deprive any section of students of a fair deal.

Meanwhile, rallies and protests are being planned by students in Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata tomorrow, despite the olive leaf extended by the PM.

The students in Delhi would hold a 'Maha Rally' tomorrow at the Ramlila Grounds here and would also place advertisements in the leading newspapers of Delhi seeking support for it.

"Traders' bodies, resident welfare associations, chemists' organisations, a section of the medical faculty and fraternity have declared their support for the anti-quota agitation," they claimed.

A group of students in Jaipur met Vice President Bhaironsingh Shekawat and urged him to stop the Bill on reservation.