“I am Requesting, Please Come And Discuss”: Mamata Banerjee To Docs

Kolkata:

Protesting medical doctors who’ve reached West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home for talks have been but to begin on account of an deadlock over live-streaming of their assembly. The medical doctors need to live-stream the assembly, whereas Ms Banerjee mentioned it will probably’t be carried out, citing the RG Kar Medical School and Hospital difficulty is being heard within the Supreme Courtroom.

“I’m requesting, please come and speak as you had requested for at present’s assembly. At the least come and have tea with me. Why are you disrespecting me? I preserve ready, however it appears you do not need to meet. Overlook politics for now… I’ll signal the minutes of the assembly, however there shall be no live-streaming. It may well occur solely after Supreme Courtroom permission,” Ms Banerjee.

Earlier at present, taking a shock step to finish the deadlock between her authorities and protesting medical doctors, Ms Banerjee visited the positioning the place the medics are staging a sit-in and addressed them. Later within the night, the medical doctors went to her home for talks. 

The medical doctors have been protesting since a trainee physician was raped and murdered at RG Kar Medical School and Hospital in Kolkata final month and commenced a sit-in exterior Swasthya Bhavan, the headquarters of the West Bengal well being division, on Tuesday. There have been strikes for a dialogue between the state authorities and the medical doctors since then however they’ve been getting stalled, most lately over the protestors’ demand for dwell streaming of the talks. 

Ms Banerjee reached the protest website on Saturday and struck a conciliatory tone, asking if she may handle the medical doctors. Amid slogan-shouting she mentioned in Bengali, “Please take heed to me for 5 minutes after which shout slogans, it’s your democratic proper to take action. I’ve been ready for a very long time. In opposition to the recommendation of my safety officers, I’ve come right here to salute your protests. I’ve additionally been a part of scholar actions, I do know my put up isn’t an enormous deal, your voice is. It was raining all evening and also you suffered. I could not sleep both as a result of I used to be feeling unhealthy.”

Acknowledging that the protests had been happening for over a month, she urged the protesting medical doctors to return to work, assuring them that the federal government would lend a sympathetic ear to their calls for.

“I’ll examine the calls for, I do not run the federal government alone. I’ll communicate to the chief secretary, dwelling secretary and director common of police. Motion shall be taken towards those that are discovered responsible. I need justice for Tilottama (the identify given to the lady who was raped and murdered). Out of your platform, I’ll request the CBI to hurry up the investigation. I request you, I would like a while to think about your calls for. Should you belief me, come and speak to me, I’ll look into your calls for,” she assured the medical doctors. 

Urging the protesters to return to work, she mentioned their households have been apprehensive about them and lots of sufferers had died as a result of they didn’t get correct healthcare. 

“Return to work. I’ll be sure that no injustice occurs. I’ll arrange committees in each hospital which can have senior and junior medical doctors as members. Everybody discovered responsible shall be punished, it isn’t like they’re my buddies (referring to the demand for the resignation of some officers). Please speak amongst yourselves and return to work, I cannot take any motion. In Uttar Pradesh, motion was taken, I will not try this. I do know you’re employed so much, I understand how necessary you’re,” she mentioned. 

“That is my final try to resolve the disaster… Should you preserve your religion in me, I’ll look into your complaints. The case is on within the Supreme Courtroom (which had set a September 10 deadline for the medical doctors to return to work) and the following listening to is on Tuesday. I do not need you to undergo. I’ve come to make a request as your ‘didi’ (huge sister), not as a chief minister. I’m empathetic and I assist your protest… I had additionally gone on a starvation strike for 26 days (throughout the protest towards the acquisition of farmland in Singur), however nobody from the then authorities got here to talk to me,” Ms Banerjee added. 

Docs’ Take

The medical doctors shouted “we would like justice” loudly in direction of the tip of Ms Banerjee’s handle and, speaking to reporters after she completed talking, among the protesters mentioned that whereas they welcomed her overture, they need a “clear” assembly – referring to the demand for a dwell telecast of discussions. 

“We welcome Mamata Banerjee’s go to. We’re prepared to carry talks together with her. Media is current right here. Let there be a clear assembly together with her over our 5 calls for,” mentioned a protesting physician. 

Bone Of Rivalry

The West Bengal authorities had invited the medical doctors for talks on Tuesday, however they’d rejected the invite as a result of it had come from the well being secretary, whose resignation they’re in search of. On Wednesday, the medical doctors had made 4 key calls for for the dialogue to happen: they need to be allowed to ship a delegation of a minimum of 30, the dialogue must be held within the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, it must be centred round their five-point calls for, and the assembly must be dwell telecast.

Three of the 4 calls for for talks had been met and the medical doctors had reached the state secretariat on Thursday for a gathering however it didn’t happen as a result of the federal government didn’t conform to its dwell streaming. 

Explaining the rationale after Thursday’s assembly didn’t occur, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who mentioned she had been ready for the medical doctors for over two hours, said that the matter was in court docket and dwell streaming the assembly can be towards protocol.

Ms Banerjee apologised to the folks of West Bengal and mentioned she was keen to step down, but additionally spoke of a “political color” to the protests.

Calls for

The five-point calls for of the medical doctors embody holding all people liable for the rape and homicide – in addition to any destruction of proof – accountable and punishing them and taking strict disciplinary motion towards former RG Kar Medical School and Hospital Principal Sandip Ghosh. 

They’ve additionally pushed for the resignation of Kolkata Police Commissioner Vineet Goyal and Well being Secretary Narayan Swaroop Nigam, amongst others; making certain satisfactory safety measures for healthcare staff; and eliminating a ‘risk tradition’ prevailing in authorities healthcare establishments.