Soon after suicide attempts by anti-reservation activists in New Delhi and Cuttack, Congress trouble-shooter Oscar Fernandes swung into action saying a solution was within reach. However, the party continued to be divided on the issue. AICC general secretary Janardhan Dwivedi said the immolation bids were ‘‘unfortunate’’. But the initial nervousness of Congress crisis managers was calmed by news that the Delhi protester was not a student (See Newsline). Earlier in the day, senior leaders were optimistic of getting the doctors to withdraw their strike by night. ‘‘Today’s incidents have thrown a spanner into the works, but things are in control,’’ said a negotiator helping Fernandes.As the medical students today decided to intensify their stir, quota opponents within the Congress warned of an impending political disaster for the party. ‘‘The possibility of the protests spreading across the nation is slim, but the frustration among the youth may turn out to be the party’s undoing,’’ a working committee member said. Supporters of the reservation proposals, most of them constituents of the UPA, meanwhile accused the government of handling the doctors’ strike with kid gloves. ‘‘The PM has said it is a settled matter and striking doctors have no reason to continue their stir,’’ a pro-quota CWC member said. CPI national secretary D Raja said the continuation of strike by the medical students was totally unjustified. “They have been assured that their prospects will not be harmed. The present protest is orchestrated by vested interests,’’ he said. Maintain calm, BJP tells protesters NEW DELHI: Expressing its concern over the self-immolation attempts, the BJP on Saturday appealed to anti-quota agitators to maintain calm. BJP spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad said, “We appeal to them to refrain from such desperate actions. They certainly have a future, though we feel the government has gone about the quota issue in a manner which lacks credibility.” — ENS
