On Saturday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee briefly met the protesting junior doctors outside her house. This meeting was regarding a meeting between the CM and the doctors, however the meeting could not turn into a meeting. The doctors remained adamant on their demand that the meeting be broadcast live. This was the second time this week that the meeting could not take place because Mamata Banerjee expressed her inability to livestream.
Annoyed with the delay in talks with the protesting doctors, Mamata Banerjee told the doctors standing outside her house in the rain, “Today you said you want to meet me. I agreed and I am waiting. Please don’t insult me like this. Earlier I waited for you for two hours, but you did not come.” The Chief Minister told the doctors that if they are not ready to meet her, then at least come inside the house and have tea.
The CM said, “All of us – the chief secretary, the director general of police (DGP) and the home secretary, are waiting for you all. We have given you umbrellas so that you don’t get drenched in the rain. We have also made arrangements for you to sit. Please come inside and at least have tea if you don’t want to talk to me.” When the doctors persisted with their demand to record the meeting, the CM pointed out that there was no such mention in the letter sent today and said the matter was in court. “It was not mentioned in any letter that you wanted the meeting to be live-streamed. But I assure you that I will get everything recorded and give you a copy of it. I will ensure that the video is not released until the Supreme Court gives its permission,” she said.
Citing security and space constraints at her home, the chief minister said recording and calling more doctors inside was not possible. “Fifteen people were supposed to come here but 40 have come. Can 40 people be accommodated in someone’s home? Still, I have made all arrangements for you. I request you to come inside. If you don’t want to have a meeting, at least have tea,” Mamata Banerjee said.
Earlier in the day, Mamata Banerjee made a surprise visit to the doctors’ protest site at Swasthya Bhavan, West Bengal’s health headquarters in Salt Lake area, and urged them to return to duty soon. She promised to look into their demands and said it was her “last ditch effort” to resolve the crisis. She also said she would not take any action against the doctors and added, “Bengal is not like Uttar Pradesh.”
In this regard, the protesting doctors said, ‘We were called for an official dialogue in Kalighat. When we reached there, we even compromised on the demand that the meeting be telecast live. We said just record the meeting and give us the recording after the meeting is over, but the officials refused to accept it. The Chief Minister came out and requested us to have tea, but the junior doctors said that we will have tea only when we get justice.
Later we also gave up our demand for the recording and just asked for the minutes of the meeting, but we were told that it was too late and nothing could be done now. We kept waiting in the rain, but had to return without any solution. All the junior doctors were disappointed. The doctors said, ‘The arrest of Sandeep Ghosh today has proved that our demand was right. What Sandeep Ghosh has done is an institutional crime. Many such principals and officers may be involved in this. We want all those involved in this to resign. We will continue the protest till justice is served. We are here for Abhaya and will keep demanding justice.’
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