By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL, MAY 4. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr. Digvijay Singh, has criticised the Medical Council of India (MCI) for its `anti-reservation attitude' and appealed to the President and Prime Minister to direct the MCI to lower qualifying marks for SC/ST students to at least 40 per cent in the entrance examination for admission to Post-Graduate course in medical colleges.

The Chief Minister has written to the President, Mr. K. R. Narayanan, and Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, that the MCI has not only failed to comply with the Directive Principles enshrined in the Constitution but also fallen prey to the anti- reservation forces in making the Post Graduate Medical Education Regulations, 2000, which fixes 50 per cent as the minimum percentage of marks for eligibility for admission to PG medical courses for all categories of candidates.

Consequently, Mr. Singh said, most of the SC and ST candidates may not qualify for entrance examination to the Post- Graduate medical courses. Driving home his point, he said the State population comprises of 16 per cent SCs and 20 per cent STs and most of them reside in such non-urban areas that are yet to see the first signs of modernisation. Therefore, students coming from these areas, especially those belonging to the STs, though having sufficient higher level of intelligence and knowledge, lack the modern competitive techniques and concepts and are handicapped when compared to the students coming from other urban institutions. It was to meet this handicap or shortcoming that the framers of our Constitution and even our present day policy makers, have given them certain leverage in the form of reservation to balance the social inequality, Mr. Singh has emphasised.

Citing Article 46 of the Constitution, the Chief Minister said that the Constitution directs the States to protect the weaker sections, especially those belonging to the SCs and STs from social injustices and exploitation.