Pro-reservation students stop train

THE STUDENTS of the Allahabad University ,supporting the Union Government?s reservation policy, stopped the Unchahar Express at the Prayag Station for over an hour on Friday. The students led by former general secretary of the AU Union Alok Singh Patel raised pro-reservation slogans and called for restoration of reservation of OBC at the AU. Addressing the students, Patel alleged that some influential people did not want that the members of backward castes should get higher education and progress in life.

THE STUDENTS of the Allahabad University (AU), supporting the Union Government’s reservation policy, stopped the Unchahar Express at the Prayag Station for over an hour on Friday.

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The students led by former general secretary of the Allahabad University Union (AUU) Alok Singh Patel raised pro-reservation slogans and called for restoration of reservation of OBC at the AU.

Addressing the students, Patel alleged that some influential people did not want that the members of backward castes should get higher education and progress in life.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Junior Doctors Association met senior BJP leader Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and requested him to support their anti-quota agitation.

The delegation led by JDA president Dr Neeraj also requested Dr Joshi to put pressure on the government for reviewing the effects of existing reservation policy.

Dr Joshi assured the delegation of discussing the issue with the BJP president and the Prime Minister. He said that he was not against reservation but the reservation should be given to the poor students, irrespective of caste and religion. Dr Neeraj said with the assurance of Dr Joshi they would continue their agitation. The delegation consisted of 25 junior doctors.

Before burning the effigy, a lawyer from the Andolan unit, Sangam Lal Pandey said none of the classes that had been exploited had ever benefited by the caste-based reservation policy. One the other hand, the policy had enhanced casteism. He said the government should end caste-based reservation and instead, the government should implement reservation based on poverty.

Advocate Anil Tripathi said the Rashtriya Ekta Andolan was not against any particular caste and by implementing a policy based on poverty, the needy of every caste would gain.

Senior advocate Suresh Chandra said in interest of the country and society, all responsible people of all political parties should join hands to achieve this drean.

District president of the Rashtriya Ekta Andolan Dr Anand Upadhyay said advocates should play an important role in liberating the country from the clutches of casteism.

Varanasi
DESPITE THE Union government having now decided that 27 per cent reservation for OBCs would be made in higher academic institutes from next year, medical students of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) are in no mood to relent on the issue.

They are even contemplating to go on a fast-unto-death in a day to two.

“We are now planning to go on a fast-unto-death in a day or two to make the he government realise the quota policy would only worsen the existing education system. Moreover, it would promote brain drain from the country,” said general secretary of the Resident Doctors’ Association (RDA), Dr Mahesh P Kate said.

He added the date for the fast would be decided in the general body meeting of the RDA. The RDA members expressed commitment to continue to the indefinite strike till their demands were not fulfilled.

Gorakhpur
UPSET OVER the Union government’s proposal to enhance reservation in Central government funded academic and higher education institutions, students of Deen Dayal Upadhyaya (DDU) Gorakhpur University took out a procession and burnt an effigy of Human Resource Minister Arjun Singh at the university gates.

The students were even protesting against the alleged manhandling of students agitating against the reservation.