Mamata springs a surprise, visits protest site of junior doctors in a ‘last’ bid to end impasse

KOLKATA, SEPT 14 : Over a month after the doctors’ protest began, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made a surprise visit to the venue where the junior doctors were protesting and assured them that she would look lend a sympathetic ear to their demands.

The CM’s move comes when her government finds itself against the wall for its alleged inaction and missteps following the gruesome rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the state-run R G Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

The junior doctors have been on a protesting spree in support of their multi-point charter of demands following the heinous rape and murder at the state-run hospital.

Amid the ongoing deadlock between the state government and the protesting doctors, Mamata chose to visit the protest venue in a bid to end the impasse and said that this is her last attempt to resolve the crisis.

According to NDTV, Banerjee reached the protest site and struck a conciliatory tone, asking if she could address the doctors. Amid slogan-shouting she said in Bengali, “Please listen to me for five minutes and then shout slogans, it is your democratic right to do so. I have been waiting for a long time. Against the advice of my security officers, I have come here to salute your protests. I have also been part of student movements, I know my post is not a big deal, your voice is. It was raining all night and you suffered. I couldn’t sleep either because I was feeling bad.”

According to news agency PTI, amid chants of ‘we want justice’ outside the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, Banerjee said she was spending sleepless nights as the medics were agitating on the road amid rains.

“I came to meet you as your ‘didi’ not as the chief minister,” she said.

“I assure you that I will study your demands and take action if someone is found guilty,” she added, urging the protesting doctors to return to work.

She also announced that patient welfare committees of all state-run hospitals were dissolved with immediate effect.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Junior doctors’ demonstration outside Health dept office continues for 5th day

“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis,” Banerjee said.

After the chief minister left the site, the agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held.

The medics have been camping outside Swasthya Bhawan, the headquarters of the state Health Department, since Tuesday with a host of demands, including better security at state-run hospitals and the removal of top officials over the rape and murder of the doctor at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.

The NDTV recalled that the West Bengal government had invited the doctors for talks on Tuesday, but they had rejected the invite because it had come from the health secretary, whose resignation they are seeking.

On Wednesday, the doctors had made four key demands for the discussion to take place which included that they should be allowed to send a delegation of at least 30 and the discussion should be held in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Three of the four demands for talks had been met and the doctors had reached the state secretariat on Thursday for a meeting but it did not take place because the government did not agree to its live streaming.

Explaining the rationale after Thursday’s meeting did not happen, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who said she had been waiting for the doctors for over two hours, stated that the matter was in court and live streaming the meeting would be against protocol.

Banerjee apologised to the people of West Bengal and said she was willing to step down, but also spoke of a “political colour” to the protests.

The BJP termed Mamata Banerjee’s surprise visit to the protest site of junior doctors as “photo-op” and alleged that she was there to sow the “seeds of suspicion” among the medical fraternity.

-PTI