New Delhi: Medical services in Delhi government hospitals were affected by a token strike by doctors. It's going to get worse with a city-wide strike on Monday and a nation-wide protest later this month.
Students of All India Institute of Medical Science, Lok Narayan Jai Prakash, Guru Teg Bahadur and Lady Hardinge Medical College have already gone on strike.
On Friday, over a thousand medical students in the capital, including those from the Delhi University, marched through the busy business district of Connaught Place in Central Delhi towards the Prime Minister’s Office in South Block.
Raising slogans such as Arjun Singh Hai Hai, the students, who took out the rally under the aegis of 'Youth for Equality', demanded that the Prime Minister himself address the issue.
The police had to use water cannons and tear gas to disperse the massive crowd moving towards the Rashtrapati Bhawan.
The students had earlier announced that they would wait till the Assembly election process was over for an assurance from the Government on the issue, failing which they would intensify their agitation.
"We had given the Government time till May 12 - that is 24 hours after the election process was over - to give us an assurance on the matter," said a student of Lady Hardinge Medical College, Amitasha.
"Now, we have no option left but to go on an indefinite strike," she added.
The students were already boycotting classes to protest the Government's proposal for introducing reservation for OBCs in elite institutions for higher education and in Central universities.
Their demands also include a review of the existing 22.5 per cent reservation for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes.
The Indian Medical Association is slated to hold a press conference on Friday evening to air their views on the Quota issue.
Three weeks ago, medical students led a similar protest march against the proposed 27 per cent hike in quotas for OBCs in institutes of higher education.
However, the National Knowledge Commission, set up by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, says the reservation proposal compromises on merit and is not likely to be revised on the grounds of these protests.
(With inputs from UNI)
Comments
0 comment