Dilli Chalo....

Medical students from the top institutes of Delhi including the AIIMS took out a rally protesting against the new reservation policy initiated by the HRD minister and have set off a spark among youth elsewhere too. To see young boys and girls come out, speak and express themselves was indeed gladdening. The overall message given was 'We are not going to take this lying down.’

And they are getting support from all over the country. Last heard, medical students from Bangalore, Kolkota and Amritsar have joined the fray. When the Mandal commision had announced the reservation policy under the VP Singh government in 1990, it was the image of the Delhi university student Rajeev Gowswami immolating himself which became a metaphor of anti-reservation protests in India.

Did make me wonder though as to why the youth of this generation (including me) were so thanda..... Of course this issue was being widely debated in various forums on the internet and television chat shows, But as they say, Beheron ko sunane ke liye dhamake ki zaroorat hai..... These students went ahead, took to the streets, shouted slogan against the HRD minister Arjun Singh and the lathi charge that the Delhi police carried out to drive them away only made sure that this was reported prime time in the news channels and as headlines in the newspapers and got the attention of the entire nation.

All this negative publicity forced the HRD minister to grant an audience to the protesting students and it has now been decided that the issue will be up and open for discussion after the assembly polls are over in the 5 states on may 12th.

I think it's now that the government is seriously reconsidering its opinions on actually implementing the policy. Come May 12th and we all will come to know what happens next.