PATIALA: BJP MP from Amritsar Navjot Singh Sidhu on Sunday demanded the fees in private medical colleges which were raised by Punjab government last year should be withdrawn immediately.

Talking to media persons here Sunday he said that it was unjustified that medical students who came from middle class families of the state and we have been allowing the private colleges to charge high fee from them.

He however welcomed Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal's decision to form the committee to review the fee structure of private medical colleges. He demanded that committee should recommend the government to scrap the notification of fee hike which was issued on august 3, 2007. He urged the chief secretary of Punjab to submit the report at earliest as the chief minister has given one week and almost ten days have been passed.

He said that committee members should look into the matter the students who have got seats after having good rank in the PMET and now the time was ticking as they have to deposit the fees of second year in the last of this month. "We should allow private colleges to charge minimum fee as majority of students who have got admissions were from Government school and wards middle class families have been studying in these government school who cannot afford much", Sidhu added.

The students who have got admissions in MBBS in 2007 were severely hit. They have applied for PMT according to the prospectus i.e. fee for both government and management quota was fixed at 1.00 lac. Though it was provisional and parents expected increased not more than 15 to 20 percent.

Students, who have got admission in management quota, paid three lakhs for it. Someone has taken loan from banks and someone has sold their jewellery and household goods. Now they have been under stress to deposit fee for second Prof. the arrangement of another 3.00 lacs has been biting them. It will continue for another four years.

He further added that middle class families of the country which were the 90 percent of total population have been severely hit by the price rise and his fight against it will continue.

Sidhu said he will win parliament election from Amritsar as party high command repose faith in him and he will leave no stone unturned to fulfill their expectations.