Ready to resign for the sake of justice…Mamta Banerjee spoke amid doctors’ strike

New Delhi: The meeting between the West Bengal government and the protesting doctors could not be held on Thursday as well. The government had called the doctors for talks for the third time. CM Mamta Banerjee also waited for the doctors in the conference hall of Nabanna for 2 hours for talks, but the doctors’ delegation remained adamant about live streaming of the meeting and did not reach the meeting. After this, Mamta Banerjee said that she is ready to leave the chair for the sake of justice.

In fact, on Thursday, the Mamta government wrote a letter and called the doctors for talks at 5 pm. In its letter, the government accepted the doctors’ demand for the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the meeting, but rejected their condition of live streaming the meeting and decided to allow only 15 instead of the delegation of 30 protesting doctors.

The doctors had accepted the proposal for talks and also reached Nabanna. According to the Chief Secretary, instead of 15, a delegation of 32 members reached for the meeting, which was also given permission. Also, assurances were given to record the meeting. But the doctors were adamant about live streaming and did not go inside the conference hall. While Mamata Banerjee waited alone for two hours for the meeting among empty chairs. After this she left.

Speaking to the media after the doctors did not reach the meeting, Mamata Banerjee apologized to the people of Bengal with folded hands for the deadlock and requested the doctors to return to work. She said that we waited for 2 hours for a meeting with the doctors. We saw that there was no response from their side. We had asked them to come with an open mind for talks. Solutions can be found only when there is a dialogue. Earlier on another occasion I had waited to join the talks. No problem, I forgive them because they are very young. We had a complete system to record the meeting. For transparency and accurate documentation of the process and we were also ready to share the recording with the permission of the Supreme Court.

She said that I will instruct the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary to hold a meeting with the doctors whenever they are ready. I know that most of the doctors were interested in this meeting, but we have come to know that a handful of people want to create a deadlock. Still we do not want to implement ESMA.

The CM said that when the matter is sub judice, we cannot discuss the minute details of the case like this. That is why we had the facility to record the proceedings. I had decided that we will pass a resolution in memory of the deceased victim and Sitaram Yechury who left us today. We also want justice but the case is no longer with us but with the CBI. We also think about live telecast with an open mind but there are some legal constraints due to the matter being sub judice. He said that I am also ready to leave the chair for the sake of justice for the common people, but they do not want justice, they just want the chair. I do not want the CM’s chair, but I want justice for the victim.

He said that I respect the movement. I sat on hunger strike for 26 days, but no minister of the Left Front government came for talks. I am even ready to resign for justice for the common people, but they don’t want justice, they just want the chair. They could have raised the issue in the meeting. They could have met the press after that and we could have also held a joint press conference. We expected an open dialogue in the interest of doctors and patients. I am saying again that we will not take any action against them. We had called a delegation of 15 doctors, but they came with 34 doctors and still we decided to hold the meeting. But still they refused to enter the meeting hall.

She said that we did not call other top officials of the health department to facilitate the meeting. In the last one month, 27 patients have died due to lack of medical services in government hospitals. Recently an accident patient died without treatment in RG Kar, what about his mother? What happened to his family? My heart cries for everyone. Doctors are like God. They save lives. And like some other services, they are also emergency services.