New Delhi: Agitating students on Thursday met President A P J Abdul Kalam and submitted a memorandum, demanding roll-back of the proposal to provide 27 per cent reservation to other backward classes (OBCs) in Central Government educational institutions.
"We are against caste-based reservation. Higher education must be merit based. Only those students who meet the merit criteria should be in these institutions," spokesperson for the United Students Aditayaraj Kaul said.
Kaul said a five-member delegation of the United Students, which represents pupils from the Delhi University, the IP University and several schools, submitted the 21-point memorandum to Kalam.
"Caste-based reservation is just a ploy of politicians to divide us. It is vote bank politics at our expense," he said.
Kaul asked the President to have a "relook" into the 1990 Mandal report and the primary education policy. Kalam gave the delegation a patient hearing and assured them that he will look into their demands, Kaul said.
The student leader claimed that the United Students has the support of the Bharat Uday Mission, representing IIT and JNU students, the Youth for Equality under which all the five medical colleges of Delhi are represented and the Youth of Justice.
Students from Delhi's five medical colleges, the Delhi University and other institutions have been protesting since April 27, opposing the Government's proposal.
Representatives of the medical students also met Union Human Resource Development Minister, Arjun Singh on April 27 demanding a roll-back but he declined to discuss the issue until after elections.
On May 2, students held peaceful demonstrations against the proposal. They raised anti-Government, anti-Arjun Singh slogans and marched to Jantar Mantar after gathering at Maulana Azad Medical College in Delhi.
Students under the Youth for Equality banner later said that on May 12, medical students from all over India would gather in Delhi for a "mass rally" to highlight the issue.
They will launch a signature campaign on May 6 at India Gate. The signed poster would be submitted to Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her intervention into the matter will be sought.
A batch of OBC students also joined the protest while stressing the need to provide economic benefits for students and reserving seats up to the secondary/senior secondary level and not in institutions of higher education.
Students of Delhi medical colleges including, Maulana Azad Medical College, Lady Hardinge Medical College, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, University College of Medical Sciences and Vardhaman Mahavir Medical College have boycotted lectures and stayed away from OPD services.
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