AIIMS resident docs to go on mass leave on Aug 24

**Akshay** · 23 Aug 06,, 12:14

AIIMS resident docs to go on mass leave on Aug 24
[ 23 Aug, 2006 0712hrs ISTPTI ]

NEW DELHI: Intensifying their agitation against the government decision to introduce reservations in elite educational institutions, AIIMS resident doctors on Tuesday night decided to go on a mass casual leave on August 24 while medical students announced launching of surprise demonstrations at different places across the capital.

"The resident doctors at AIIMS will go on a mass casual leave on August 24 but emergency and casualty services will continue to function as usual," AIIMS Resident Doctors Association spokesperson Anil Sharma said.

He said the students' union of medical colleges will be in the forefront of the agitation as it was they who were the worst affected by the government's decision to introduce a bill in Parliament proposing reservation in government-aided elite educational institutions.

University students also announced that they would intensify the agitation against introduction of quota in elite educational institutions.

"We will intensify our agitation and launch surprise protest demonstrations at a different place in a different manner," Jatin Jain of the Indraprastha University said without elaborating.

**Akshay** · 23 Aug 06,, 12:17

Cabinet clears bill seeking OBC quota
[ 21 Aug, 2006 1209hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: The Union Cabinet on Monday cleared the Bill proposing to reserve 27% seats in all educational institutions, barring specialised ones, run and aided by Central government after quota hawks stubbed out the suggestion to keep the rich and affluent among the 'backwards' out of the reservation ambit.

The Bill, which will be sent to the Standing Committee after being introduced in Parliament after Wednesday, proposes a phase-wise rollout of the OBC quota, starting with those institutions which can implement it without any reduction in existing general category seats.

Institutions which don’t have the infrastructure to add enough number of seats to ensure there is no diminution of general category seats will have a maximum of three years to put the infrastructure in place for the purpose.

The identification of institutions — essentially specialised research institutions dealing with space science, nuclear energy, defence and medical sciences — is to be completed by Tuesday, clearing the way for the introduction of the Bill on August 25 — the last day of the Monsoon session.

The discussion in the Cabinet stretched to more than two hours after Congress ministers like Vayalar Ravi joined hands with the staunch pro-OBC camp comprising representatives of RJD, DMK and PMK, to veto the provision in the Bill to keep the "creamy layer" among OBCs outside the reservation scheme.

An accompanying note had identified “those holding constitutional offices or particular services, practicing professions of a particular kind or having an income level” as belonging to socially advanced members/creamy layer of OBCs.

These are the criteria used for denying job quota to the upper crust among OBCs. Its retention in the Bill would have ruled out wards of ministers, governors, gazetted officials, engineers, successful lawyers and doctors, rich businessmen and those with big landholdings from becoming quota beneficiaries in educational institutions.

**Akshay** · 23 Aug 06,, 12:19

Anti-quota stir comes back to life
[ 23 Aug, 2006 0003hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

NEW DELHI: If April was the cruellest month for anti-quota protesters in the Capital, Tuesday signalled an August replay.

The teargas and water cannons were back as the police once again targetted those protesting the Cabinet's decision to table the Reservation Bill in Parliament on Wednesday.

AIIMS resident doctors will observe mass casual leave on Thursday to protest the move. Wednesday will be observed as a "black day".

The anti-reservation stir came back to life after almost three months as medical students and doctors, joined by protesters from IP University, IIT, Delhi University and JNU, took to the streets to demand an immediate reversal of the decision.

A strong police force did its best to contain the 800-odd agitators as they demanded to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi and attempted to break the security cordon to enter 10, Janpath.

Police resorted to using teargas shells and water cannons to disperse the crowds, in which a few students sustained minor injuries.

Around 26 protesters, including three girls, were detained but released later in the day. Carrying the national flag and wearing black bands proclaiming 'No Caste Based Reservation', agitators shouted slogans against HRD minister Arjun Singh and Sonia Gandhi.

Avantika Gupta, a third year engineering student from Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, said: "We had started protests against reservation a long time back but were unable to join the agitation three months ago due to exams.

But this time we are better represented and hope to rope in more people to make our protest more successful." The Bill is to be tabled in Parliament on Wednesday and the anti caste-based quota protesters have threatened a countrywide strike if the bill is passed.

After a meeting of the core group of the protesters, there was suspense over the course of action. Said Jiten Jain of Youth For Equality: "We will continue to oppose caste-based reservations in whatever way we can. After going on strike and taking to the roads, we have decided to do something different now."

Supporting the agitation, Dr B K Khaitan, president of the faculty association of AIIMS, said that the association was sticking by its earlier stand. "We are against caste-based reservations. As of now, we are keeping a watch on the situation to see how it develops, but we will support any protest by students."

However, the protests this time are tinged with scepticism, with many students slightly demoralised by the Cabinet decision.

Despite the May protests, the bill will be tabled and students are wondering just how far they can jeopardise their careers by striking or courting arrests.

Said Dr Aditi Dey (name changed): "We are trying all that is in our power but for how long can we protest. Other than going on strike, what other options do we have?"

**Karthik** · 23 Aug 06,, 12:49

One can only hope that the Supreme Court saves this country from taking a step back.

**Akshay** · 23 Aug 06,, 14:35

Originally Posted by Karthik

One can only hope that the Supreme Court saves this country from taking a step back.

This government is going to embaress itself bigtime. Wait till engineering & Management institutes join them.

**raj** · 23 Aug 06,, 15:33

Originally Posted by Karthik

One can only hope that the Supreme Court saves this country from taking a step back.

just dont even dream of SC comming to the rescue of the merit students. even if SC gives decision in favour of merit, the next moment all the parties would join in parlament and bring out an ordinance nullifying the SC verdict.

**Akshay** · 23 Aug 06,, 15:43

Can SC verdict be challenged in the parliament?

**raj** · 23 Aug 06,, 16:24

Originally Posted by ab041937

Can SC verdict be challenged in the parliament?

dint you know that, try googling for quota in unaided colleges. whats that ladys name(i think some banu or some thing) this was during rajiv's regime, the verdict was changed through a majority vote in parlament(this was done to gain muslim vote bank)

**Tronic** · 23 Aug 06,, 17:37

why is our government so dumb??? so basically they are reserving seats for all the dumbasses who can't get into college or university... now that is totally stupid... they are trying to make our education institutes dumber!!!

**Ray** · 23 Aug 06,, 18:42

Arjun Singh is a nanny goat and VP Singh is the source of evil.

As good as the betrayal of Prithiviraj Chauhan!

With people like Arjun and VP, who requires Pakistan?

Manmohan does CBM with Pakistan and VP and Arjun does want even in their wildest of dreams, Pakistan cannot achieve!

**Karthik** · 24 Aug 06,, 17:01

Originally Posted by ab041937

This government is going to embaress itself bigtime. Wait till engineering & Management institutes join them.

Reservation is more serious a national issue than the government thinks it is.

I hope this miscalculation blows up in the Congress's face !

**Karthik** · 24 Aug 06,, 17:02

Originally Posted by raj

just dont even dream of SC comming to the rescue of the merit students. even if SC gives decision in favour of merit, the next moment all the parties would join in parlament and bring out an ordinance nullifying the SC verdict.

They've already done it once, but I dont think they'll risk doing it again.

If Parliament can veto the SC, why not wind up the courts and be done with them then?

**SLASH** · 24 Aug 06,, 17:38

I think they should wait for 5 or more years,improve the primary and secondary education system,open more schools and colleges,at the same time improve the no. of teachers. Most of the students belonging to the OBC/ST/SC class wouldn't know English,they have no business in institutions like IIM and IIT.Teach them to speak in English.

On the flip side.Lets get real.Majority of the OBC/ST/SC are poor and we all know education is the quickest way out of poverty.We also know how people pay and get into our colleges through management quoto,cultural quota and what not... This might come out of surprise but 52% of Indians belong to OBC and around 20%to ST/SC. If you take these numbers into consideration the governments move seems justified. For me ST/SC no doubt should be given qouta.The people belonging to ST/SC come from poor villages and in turn will help in uplifting our villages.

One side deserving students will be loosing theirs seats and on the other side its a chance for India to eradicate poverty and ensure economic equality.

**gilgamesh** · 24 Aug 06,, 18:29

Originally Posted by Tronic

why is our government so dumb??? so basically they are reserving seats for all the dumbasses who can't get into college or university... now that is totally stupid... they are trying to make our education institutes dumber!!!

They(typical reservation types) are not "dumbasses", neither are they poor. Most beneficiaries are rich, spoilt and from powerful clans.

**Ray** · 24 Aug 06,, 19:02

Parliament is Vox Populi and hence Vox Dei.

They make the laws.

And those laws are applied by the Supreme Court.

Remember the Shah Bano case?

Forget about what the Supreme Court can do. The Congress changed the Constitution to accomodate the Moslem clerics and turned the Supreme Court's decision upside down!