Politics
Mamata Banerjee Offers to Resign Amid Ongoing Stand-Off with Protesting Doctors
Mamata Banerjee Offers to Resign Amid Ongoing Stand-Off with Protesting Doctors
An impassioned address of the Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, now stands the doctors up. She invited junior doctors to the State Secretariat for a meeting, but that did not materialise.
Yet Mamata Banerjee reiterated that she was committed to the people’s welfare. An emotional speech said she was not attached to the Chief Minister’s post and was even willing to step down if that was what would avail the public interest.
She reassured the protesting doctors that no punitive action would be taken against them and assured them of the government’s openness to discussion.
However, Banerjee expressed disappointment over those who, according to her hint, were manipulating the protest for political gain.
She noted the surge of anti-government sentiments on social media and said, “Our government has been insulted. The common people do not realise there is a political angle to this protest.”
She further said, “The people behind this political drama don’t seek justice—they seek power. If needed, I am ready to step down for the sake of the people.
I don’t care for the position of Chief Minister; I want justice for Tilottama and for the people to receive proper medical care.”
The much-expected meeting between Banerjee and the junior doctors’ delegation, scheduled for 5 PM, did not materialise.
The delegation, although arriving at the secretariat gate, refused to go inside on grounds that their request for live transmission of the meeting was denied by the government, something the government attributed to an ongoing case before the Supreme Court.
Whereas the other demands had been agreed upon, which included expanding the number of attendees in the delegation, this no-live-streaming denial became the main sticking point to what many hoped would be a resolution to the impasse.
The junior doctors also accused the government of denying permission to telecast the meeting, saying that live streaming was essential to ensure transparency. “We were keen on talks, but the administration’s rigidity over this one demand was unfortunate,” a doctor was quoted as saying.
Banerjee also said in her address that some of the members of the doctors’ delegation looked willing to come to a truce but were acting on signals from elsewhere.
“We could see people from outside guiding them, instructing them not to negotiate or attend the meeting,” she said and underlined that all this was documented by the press.
After two hours of waiting and the delegation not turning up, Banerjee herself went to the site and held a press conference there impromptu, apologising to the people of Bengal for the confusion that did not get resolved.
She also said that her administration had been patient throughout the protests, and they did not take harsher measures as other states might have done, invoking ESMA.
Banerjee then appealed to the doctors to go back to work, citing patients’ suffering, including those who urgently need surgery or women in labor.
“If the families of patients ask questions because of this strike, we will be prepared to face them,” she said, adding the government has claimed 27 people have died owing to disruptions in healthcare—which the doctors have denied.
The tussle between the state government and doctors has been going on for over a month, following the rape and murder of a young doctor, Tilottama, on August 9 at RG Kar Medical College.
The doctors accused the establishment of trying to cover up the incident and trying to save the then principal, Sandip Ghosh, who was subsequently arrested by the CBI in a corruption case.
Besides seeking justice for Tilottama, the doctors have demanded several resignations, including that of Kolkata police chief Vineet Goyal and senior health officials, and refused to back down until their demands are met.
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While the case is already in the consideration of the Supreme Court, the discretion of the protest outcome is left to the state government. Meanwhile, the CBI is continuing with investigations related to rape-murder and financial malpractices in the hospital.
