West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday appealed to the agitating doctors, who had gathered at her residence for talks, to join the meeting despite their demand for a live-stream of the discussions. Banerjee explained that since the issue is currently before the court, live-streaming could not be permitted. However, she assured them that the meeting would be video recorded, and a copy could be provided once the Supreme Court granted approval. She also urged the protesting students, who had gathered in the rain, to come inside and participate in the discussion.
According to Banerjee, she had been ready for discussions on multiple occasions, but the doctors did not turn up. Despite waiting at her residence with DGP Rajeev Kumar and Chief Secretary Manoj Pant, the junior doctors had yet to enter. On the other side, the protesting doctors claimed they were waiting for Banerjee to meet with their delegation. They reiterated their demand for the meeting to be live-streamed for transparency, but the state government rejected the request, citing security reasons, as it was being held at the CM’s residence.
The doctors also requested that their own videographer be allowed to record the meeting, a demand that was similarly denied. They expressed concern about transparency and said that live-streaming would allow other protesting junior doctors to stay informed about the proceedings.
The backdrop to this standoff is a protest by junior doctors from RG Kar Medical College, which has been ongoing for several weeks. On Saturday, Banerjee had scheduled a meeting at her residence to try and resolve the impasse, with 15 members of the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front being allowed to attend.
The doctors welcomed Banerjee’s outreach and indicated their willingness to engage in talks, provided there was adequate representation and transparency. They had earlier sent an email to Banerjee, expressing their openness to another meeting while emphasizing the need for proper transparency to resolve their five-point demands, which they had been peacefully protesting for over a month.
Banerjee made a surprise visit to the protest site earlier in the day, addressing the crowd amidst chants for justice. She assured the protesters that their demands would be looked into, and no action would be taken against them, emphasizing that she respected their democratic right to protest. Banerjee described her visit as her final attempt to resolve the situation and urged the doctors to return to work, assuring them that their demands would be addressed sympathetically.
Her visit was met with mixed reactions. While some appreciated her gesture as a sign of goodwill, the doctors maintained that they would not compromise on their core demands without holding transparent discussions. This left the situation unresolved, even after Banerjee’s outreach.
The deadlock over a proposed meeting between the doctors and Banerjee had been ongoing since Thursday, when the state government refused the doctors' request to live-stream the meeting. Banerjee had waited for two hours at the state secretariat, hoping to meet the doctors, but the meeting did not take place as the doctors insisted on live-streaming for transparency.
Banerjee, addressing the media earlier, had expressed frustration over the situation, noting that her government had faced much criticism and that some political forces might be using the protests for their own purposes. She even mentioned that she would be willing to step down from her position if it served the interests of the people, highlighting her commitment to resolving the situation while indirectly accusing her political rivals of attempting to exploit the crisis for their own gain.
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