M A I N   N E W S

UPA-Left panel for 27 per cent quota for OBCs
* Seats for general category students left untouched
* Legislation in monsoon session
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 23
After grappling with the reservation controversy for two weeks, a prolonged meeting of the UPA-Left coordination committee tonight agreed to introduce a 27 per cent quota for OBCs in Centrally-funded institutions of higher learning but without disturbing the seats for the general category students.

A legislation to implement the reservation will be tabled in the monsoon session of Parliament and will come into affect from the next academic session in 2007. It was also decided that the interests of the general category students would not be affected and instead the number of seats would be increased in these institutions to accommodate the OBC students.

Briefing presspersons after the meeting, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said that an oversight committee would be set up to monitor the implementation of the policy.

At the same time, he said, the roadmap for increasing these seats and expanding capacities in the institutions of higher learning will be gone into by expert committees comprising IIM Deans, IIT directors, vice-chancellors of Central and deemed universities. The panel will be expected to submit its report by end-August.

This agreement, which followed intense discussions among the UPA allies and the Left leaders, virtually endorsed the report of the Pranab Mukherjee-headed GOM set up by the Prime Minister to chart a middle path on the thorny OBC quota issue.

Although under pressure from allies like the DMK and the PMK that an ordinance be promulgated to avoid any delay in the implementation of the OBC quotas, the members of the UPA-Left coordination panel struck a compromise tonight as they decided to meet each other half-way. While the allies accepted the GOM’s suggestion that the OBC quotas be introduced by enhancing the seats, the government accepted their demand that quotas would not be implemented in a phased manner.

A note, detailing the government’s proposals circulated at this meeting, referred to the need for implementing the reservation policy in such a manner which is “both just and efficient” and, at the same time, does not affect the interests of other categories of students.

The official note raised a host of issues, including the present availability of seats in Centrally-run institutions and the expansion and resources required if quotas are to be provided without affecting the seats for other categories.

The official note said if the general category seats are to be preserved, the number of seats would have to be expanded by 54 per cent which, in turn, will entail an expense of Rs.10,000 crore for expansion of capacities. Capacity expansion will take three to five years while finding additional faculty to the extent of 50 per cent is another problem. Here, it is suggested that teachers be re-employed till the age of 65. It was suggested that expert committees be set up to finalise resource requirements.

That the Prime Minister was under tremendous pressure on this issue from its allies was illustrated by the 17-page note circulated at this meeting by PMK leader M. Ramadass in which he slammed the government for its failure to fulfill its promise in the area of social justice, accused the Centre of reneging on its Constitutional commitment under pressure from a handful of agitating students and rejected the report of the Pranab Mukherjee-headed GOM which has proposed an increase in the number of seats to protect the interests of all sections and that the quota be implemented in a phased manner.

Mr. Ramadass questioned the government’s logic in increasing the number of seats and wondered if it was being done to deny the legitimate right of the OBCs or to promote the interests of the privileged few.

Similarly, he did not agree that the quotas be implemented in a phased manner, stating that this would thwart the very spirit of the Constitution. 

Government “backstabbed us”: doctors

New Delhi, May 23
Agitating anti-reservation doctors tonight charged they were “backstabbed” by the UPA-Left co-ordination committee’s “outrageous” decision to introduce OBC quota from next year and resolved to continue their strike.

“There is no chance of going back. The strike will continue,” said Amitasha Sinha, a student of Lady Hardinge Medical College and representative of Youth for Equality told spearheading the agitation.

She alleged the government has “backstabbed” them with its decision to implement the quota for OBCs in the academic year beginning June 2007.

“For the past 10 days, they have been beating around the bush. The government has been playing with us by assuring an amicable solution and announcing something else,” Ms Sinha said.

Another representative of the forum termed the government decision “outrageous”.

“The decision is outrageous and audacious,” Dr Shashmit Sarangi said.

After the UPA-Left announced their decision, the striking doctors went into a huddle to discuss its ramifications. — PTI