West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to the agitating doctors, who had arrived at her residence for talks, to join the meeting, amid their demand for live-streaming of the discussions.
“I would request you all to come inside and attend the meeting. As the matter is before the court, we cannot allow live streaming. I will video-record the meeting and will provide you with a copy only after permission from the Supreme Court,” she said, while appealing to students to come inside and not to get drenched in rain.
“Today, you said that you want a meeting, so I have been waiting. Why are you people insulting me like this? Please don’t insult me like this. Earlier on the three occasions, I have been waiting but you people didn’t come,” she said.
Banerjee was seen waiting at her residence to meet the delegation of protesting junior doctors. On the other hand, the doctors who reached the CM’s residence, claimed that they are waiting for the chief minister to meet the delegation, sources said.
A delegation of junior doctors arrived at Smt. @MamataOfficial‘s residence in Kalighat over an hour ago, yet the crucial meeting remains at a standstill.
Visuals show the CM waiting patiently alongside the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary & DG. pic.twitter.com/IOp3N5dbY4
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) September 14, 2024
According to photographs and information shared by the state secretariat Nabanna, Banerjee along with DGP Rajeev Kumar and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant were waiting at her residence for the junior doctors to join the meeting.
Meanwhile, students claimed that they demanded live-streaming or video recording of the meeting, but just like Thursday the demand is not being accepted by the authorities.
“We requested for live streaming of this meeting. The Chief Secretary said live streaming is not possible as it is CM’s residence. We told the Chief Secretary that we want live streaming so that transparency is maintained. We also said please consider our videographer so that he can record the meeting. But CM’s security was shooting the video and they said it is for security reasons. We want live streaming so that proper transparency of this discussion and meeting is maintained and other junior doctors present at the protest site can also know what happened in this meeting. That’s why we are waiting in front of the main gate of CM residence as we want live streaming of this meeting,” the junior doctors said.
Banerjee-Doctors’ meeting
Banerjee scheduled a meeting with protesting junior doctors at her residence on Saturday to hold talks to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse. Only 15 members from the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front were allowed to attend the meeting with the chief minister.
The doctors welcomed the visit of Banerjee at the protest site and said they were more than willing to hold talks with adequate representation and proper transparency.
“We saw that the meeting was called in her residence. We will go there and come back here then inform you all,” one of the doctors, who were part of the protest said.
Doctors’ email to Bengal CM
The doctors earlier in an email told Bengal chief minister that they want another meeting with her hours after she made a surprise visit to the site where they were protesting but demanded another meeting with her.
“We are more than willing to have a discussion in your esteemed presence with adequate representations and proper transparency as agreed by both the parties,” the doctors said in an emailed statement.
They said that they take Mamata Banerjee’s visit as an ‘exceptional goodwill gesture’ and a ‘welcome step’. They said the meeting will bring ‘collective clarity of our five point demands for which we have been protesting peacefully for the last thirty five days’.
“We are more than willing to have a discussion in your esteemed presence with adequate representations and proper transparency as agreed by both the parties. We are eagerly awaiting for your positive response to end this impasse,” West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front said.
Mamata’s surprise visit at protest site
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee earlier today, made a surprise visit to the site where the junior doctors were protesting, and assured them that she would look into their demands and take action if anyone was found guilty.
She addressed the protesting doctors amid chants of “we want justice” outside the Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake, and said that she had been spending sleepless nights because the medics were agitating on the road amid rains and described her visit as the “last attempt” to resolve the crisis.
Banerjee assured the protesting doctors that she would not take any action against them as she did not believe in suppressing a democratic movement as “Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh”.
However, after she left the site, the agitating doctors said they were not ready to compromise on their demands till discussions were held, indicating no immediate breakthrough in the impasse.
Accompanied by DGP Rajiv Kumar, Banerjee reached the site in Sector 5 around 1 pm, taking those present there by surprise.
“I came to meet you as your ‘didi’ (elder sister) 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, Banerjee said would never allow any injustice to them.
“This is my last attempt to resolve the crisis,” she said.
“If you wish to return to work, I promise you to consider your demands sympathetically. I do not run the government alone. I will discuss your demands with the chief secretary, home secretary, and the DGP,” she said.