A majority of the agitating medicos have called off their agitation against extension of MBBS course by one year, while students of six colleges in Tamil Nadu were continuing their protests.

Janakiraman, convenor of the Federation of Students of Medical Colleges in Tamil Nadu, an umbrella organisation spearheading the protest, said students of 10 medical colleges called of their agitation and efforts were on to persuade the students of six other colleges.

A decision to call of their agitation was taken on Monday night following their talks with State Health Minister M R K Panneerselvam, who had assured that Chief Minister M Karunanidhi would take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images] and Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.

The medicos were agitating against the Union Health Ministry's proposal to extend the duration of the course from the present five-and-a-half years to six-and-a-half years, making medicos work in rural areas as part of their MBBS curriculum.

Despite several pleas by Ramadoss, Karunanidhi and Panneerselvam, the students were continuing their protests. All political parties, barring the PMK, founded by Anbumani Ramadoss's father and Ramadoss, had extended support to agitators.