Mufti threatens agitation if medical internees stipend issue not resolved

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Sept 2: The PDP president and former Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today gave the Omar Abdullah-led Government 10 days to resolve the demand of protesting medical interns for a monthly stipend of Rs 30,000, warning that the PDP would join the agitation if the issue was not settled.

Urging Abdullah to initiate talks with the interns, Mufti said the Government should send a "reliable" representative rather than a minister who, she alleged, had been repeatedly saying for the past two years that the stipend-hike file was "under process".

She alleged that the Government had adopted a similar approach towards the reservation-related file, which, she said, also remained stuck.

"They did the same with the reservation file. That is stuck too. They do get out the files they want," she said, questioning the Government's priorities in clearing public-interest matters.

"I urge the Chief Minister to start talks with the medical interns. Within one week or 10 days, the demand of Rs 30,000 must be fulfilled. If you do it, fine. If not, we will also join the protest," Mufti said.

She said the demand should not take prolonged consideration, describing the protesting interns as "educated and well-qualified" medical professionals.

"These medical doctors are doing hard work," she said.

Mufti said the Government should act quickly to resolve the issue and bring the interns back to hospitals, where they should be working rather than protesting.

"They are out on protests; rather, they should have been at their hospitals," she said.

Drawing a parallel with the recent youth-led protests at Jantar Mantar, Mufti said Governments could be compelled to respond when young people mobilised over their demands.

"At Jantar Mantar, such a big Government had to come down before Gen-Z. These are educated and well-qualified children," she said.

Mufti clarified that her 10-day deadline was not intended as a threat to the Chief Minister but was aimed at pressing the Government to open a dialogue with the protesting doctors.

Mufti made the remarks while meeting MBBS and BDS interns protesting at SKIMS Bemina during a candlelight march.

Medical interns across J&K have been on strike over the demand for an increase in their monthly stipend to Rs 30,000.

During the interaction, Mufti listened to the grievances of the intern doctors, who reiterated their demand for a Government order on the stipend hike.