Docs meet Fernandes, seek experts' panel

The medicos have rejected repeated appeals from President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to call off their 14-day hunger strike.

Striking medicos on Thursday night held talks with Union Minister Oscar Fernandes over setting up of an expert's commission to review the government's current reservation policy.

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"We had discussions over specific issues like setting up of an experts commission to review the existing reservation policy," Dr Sasmit Sarangi, a representative of Youth For Equality, said after over 90-minute meeting with Fernandes.

He said that the medicos' delegation also told the minister that the striking students were not totally against reservation but wanted it for economically-backward sections of the society and not on caste basis.

"It is a wrong message that has gone out that medicos are totally against reservation. We do not want it on caste basis," he said.

The medicos have rejected repeated appeals from President APJ Abdul Kalam and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to call off their 14-day hunger strike. Both the leaders assured the students that seats for general category in educational institutions would be increased in proportion with the OBC quotas.