New Delhi, May 21
Neither the Prime Minister’s appeal nor the threat of severe action have actuated medicos to call off their stir. Buoyed by the support from a cross section of society as was evident from Saturday’s ‘dilli chalo’ rally, the anti-quota struggle continues to surge.
Government’s efforts to rein in doctors has been a near failure so far with protestors even rejecting the Prime Minister’s appeal to call off their hunger strike.
Protesting students who had criticised the Prime Minister for not making “a statement” on the controversial issue of reservation have now expressed “dissatisfaction” over his utterances.
Dr Manmohan Singh who is scheduled to begin talks with political parties tomorrow to resolve the reservation issue, late last night had urged the medicos to end their strike. Asking students to have faith in his government, the PM had assured that the matter would be solved in an amicable way.
The appeal, failed to cut ice with the students. “We are not satisfied with what the PM has said. The strike continues despite the termination threats and the PM’s appeal,” said Dr Harsh, a resident doctor at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
He also rebutted reports that the protesting students “have softened their stand. "We remain firm on our demands, the government has to form a judicial commission to evaluate the exiting policy,” he said.
While the hunger strike entered its eighth day, resident doctors on protest have been given a 24-hour notice to vacate the hostels by the hospital administration including in AIIMS.
“Resident doctors won’t be dispirited by these notices, the protest will continue,” said a member of the Youth for Equality.
Stepping up the pressure on the protesting doctors, the government has announced that it will begin the process of recruitment on ad hoc basis in hospitals beginning Monday. The move is to counter the disruption in health services.
The government has announced walk-in interviews for retired and senior doctors to compensate for the shortfall of doctors.
A candle-light march was organised in the Capital at Vir Bhoomi, the memorial of the late Rajiv Gandhi on his death anniversary
by students to pay homage to “ a leader who was against reservation”. “This is our tribute to the late Prime Minister who stood for merit and opposed reservation. We have a copy of his speech in which he had condemned former Prime Minister V P Singh for his stand on reservation in 1990,” said Abhimanyu of the Youth for Equality.Meanwhile, a pro-reservation movement the ‘Arakshan Samarthak Mahapanchayat’ will be organised in the Capital on Monday. “The mahapanchayat will be spread across the country, there will be meetings at district levels to discuss the need for implementing reservation,” said Sudhir Hilsayan.
He said: “The judiciary and the administration in AIIMS seems to be hand in glove with the protesting doctors, which is why despite a court ruling they have not been evacuated from the site of protest inside the hospital premises”.
