Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has appealed to the striking doctors to call off their protest against the proposed reservation for Other Backward Castes and leave it to the government to work out a solution that would be in the best interest of every section of society.
Coverage: The Reservation Issue
Addressing a gathering on the occasion of completion of two years in office by the United Progressive Alliance, Dr Singh said, "I request all those who are agitating on the quota issue to call off their agitation and have faith in our government to protect the legitimate interests of all sections of our student community."
"The government is convinced of the need to have a fair, just and inclusive education system where every section of society feels that there is no scope for their youth to acquire knowledge and skills as per their needs and become partners in the progress of this great nation," Dr Singh said amid applause from the audience, which comprised of leaders of the alliance parties, cabinet colleagues, parliamentarians.
Quota impasse continues as talks fail
The prime minister also made it clear that his government was committed to pay special attention to the needs of socially backward classes while ensuring that no deserving student was denied an opportunity to secure education.
Left parties, which criticised the government on Monday afternoon, were conspicuous by their absence during the speeches of UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Dr Singh.
Dr Singh emphasised the need to maintain fiscal discipline and manage the resources with care. He warned that though so far the government has kept the oil prices in check despite the rise in international crude oil prices, it would not be possible to continue to subsidise emergency consumption on this scale.
"Our economy has been doing reasonably well in the past two years. To sustain and increase the growth rate and find resources to support the poor, we have to manage our finances with wisdom and foresight," he said.
In a short speech, Sonia praised Dr Singh for his leadership and also thanked the coalition partners for extending their whole-hearted support. While lauding the achievements of the UPA government, Sonia said that though much had been achieved in the past two years, this was only the beginning.
"While taking pride in our accomplishments so far, we have to consolidate and focus on implementation. Many of the commitments we made in the National Common Minimum programme have been fulfilled," she said.
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