Click to play videoNew Delhi: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Saturday announced that the reservation for OBCs would be implememted, but in a phased manner over a period of three years.
But the announcement has failed to impress the striking students.
After discussing Mukherjee's proposal in at the AIIMS students' general body meeting, the medicos have decided to move on with the strike.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of striking doctors and medical students marched toward Parliament on Saturday in the seventh day of protests against the new reservation proposal.
The march, which started from the Maulana Azad Medical College in Central Delhi, was being held amid tight security.
Marching under a banner reading “Youth for Equality,” the medicos were joined by students of Delhi University, medical colleges near Delhi, lawyers, chartered accountants, motivational guru Shiv Khera and former cricketer Navjot Sidhu.
Protesters were seen carrying placards reading "Reserve vs Deserve" and "1947: freedom from British, 2006: freedom from caste politics." With Friday’s police lathicharge on a pro-quota rally in Patna on their minds, the students are keeping a tight vigil to ensure that no outsiders enter the rally.
"We want a peaceful rally and avoid any confrontation with police and pro-reservation activists," said Dr Anand, a member of Youth for Equality.
Anti-quota students met Union Minister Pranab Mukherjee. According to reports, Finance Minister P Chidambaran joined the meeting of medical students. But the protests are still on.
The medicos want a rollback of the proposed 27.5 per cent quota for OBCs in elite educational institutions and a review of the reservation policy.
"Let us not raise slogans and allow our silence to speak," said Dr Harsh, a member of Youth for Equality.
A large number of security personnel were deployed along the rally route with Rapid Action Force jawans keeping a tight vigil. Delhi police have deployed over 500 personnel as a precautionary measure.
Students have also formed human chain to remain in order and to prevent protestors spilling over the entire road disrupting traffic movement. Medical students from Varanasi, Mangalore, Bikaner, Jaipur, Rohtak, Patiala, Ajmer also joined the rally.
Engineers from 54 private companies, including some major software firms, are taking part in the rally supporting the anti-quota agitation, organisers said.
In Bhopal engineering and arts students have joined the protest. They are also organising a protest rally from Roshanpura square to the Governor's house.
The protesters have urged students from the state, who are studying outside, like IIT Chennai and Benaras Hindu University, to join the agitation.
In Bangalore, for the very first time, around 50 students from the Indian Institute of Science became a part of the anti-reservation protests.
According to reports, the protesting doctors and engineers stop Roopsagar Express near Nagpur.
In a meeting with Minister Oscar Fernandes on Thursday, students rejected the Centre's proposal for increasing the seats in general category and demanded a complete rollback of the OBC quota proposal.
The Delhi government has deployed Army doctors in the state-run hospitals where medical services were badly hit during the anti-quota stir.
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