Continuing our previous discussion, I suppose if Genesis or any other PR agency for that matter is working for the striking medicos, we as fellow PR people should contribute a little to what they could consider doing, apart from the HI-SECRET lobbying-

1. The medical students’ fraternity against the quota should not be seen as a body made up of the majority class (read that general) students venting anger against other classes like OBC, SC or ST. The strike should be seen as an effort targeted against the new system. But there have been already a couple of write-ups in the blogosphere suggesting the media has been neglecting the pro-quota students. The question is whether the media is biased? And if yes, why? How many OBC students are there who can speak out against the new quota law?
2. There have been blog writeups on the anti-quota group’s PR agency starting chain sms messages with wrong information. The best topic that the pro-quota group can do now if they were to start something silly like this is spreading a message that the anti-quota group has assaulted an OBC student. This could give a big dent to the entire process.
3. We need more advocates. More and more organisations are coming out against the strike. For instance, the All India Tyre Dealers’ Federation urged the doctors to suspend the agitation and accept the Prime Minister’s offer so that patients do not suffer. (The Indian Express this last weekend). You cannot win mass support by neglecting hospital patients. We need more media stories on how the students are still helping the patients despite the strike.
4. Consider approaching people who have spoken in the past for OBCs, SCs, and STs – like VP Singh, and Dr. AM Chinnappa. If you can get them to speak something like there should be equal opportunities for all castes, nothing like it.
5. Need more in-depth analytical media stories. Many of the stories till now have been on-the-spot-news reporting- spice added. Need more pro-strike stories in editorial pages – like a Vir Sanghvi column in HT.
6. Do a research on global organisations fighting for equal rights for all-NGOs, education groups, etc. How many can you approach to speak for you in the media?
7. And the standard policy that works in India almost everytime – make the government postpone the law for the next five years instead of implementing it from next year. After all, the government is not going to agree so easily to a complete track back. Believe me, this has worked many times before- remember the set-top-box, MCD demolition. Ok not comparable, but consider it.

(P.S. I am not pro or against anybody. This post is just a discussion on Public Relations, which we all love to explore so much)

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