The meeting between the striking doctors and the Mamata government could not take place on Thursday following the Kolkata incident. Mamata Banerjee waited for the doctors for two hours at a meeting in Nabanna's Conference Hall, but they insisted on live streaming the discussion and refused to enter the hall. Consequently, the meeting was canceled in the evening. Meanwhile, Bengal Governor CV Anand Bose has said that he will socially boycott CM Mamata Banerjee.
After almost two hours of waiting for the protesting doctors to arrive, Mamata Banerjee held a press conference stating that she also wants justice for the victim and apologized to the people of West Bengal for the ongoing stalemate. The Chief Minister of West Bengal said that she is willing to resign for the sake of the people. Earlier, a video of the conference hall showed Mamata Banerjee waiting amid empty chairs for the junior doctors' delegation.
The Mamata government had called doctors for talks for the third time. The government accepted the doctors' demand for Mamata Banerjee's presence at the meeting but rejected their condition for live streaming and decided to allow only 15 members of the 30-strong delegation. However, the Chief Secretary said that a delegation of 32 members arrived for the meeting on Thursday and was permitted. But the doctors insisted on live streaming and did not enter the conference hall.
Source: aajtak
Mamata Apologizes with Folded Hands
At the press conference, the Chief Minister apologized to the people of Bengal with folded hands for the deadlock and requested the doctors to return to work. She said, "We waited for two hours to meet the doctors. We saw no response from their side. We asked them to come with an open mind for talks. Solutions can only come through dialogue. I have waited for dialogues on another occasion as well. It's okay; I forgive them because they are young. We had everything in place to record the meeting. We were ready to share the recordings with Supreme Court's permission for transparency and accurate documentation."
She further said she would instruct the Chief Secretary and Health Secretary to meet with the doctors whenever they are ready. "I know most doctors were interested in this meeting, but we now realize a few are trying to cause a deadlock. Still, we do not want to implement ESMA."
Source: aajtak
'I Don't Want the CM's Chair'
CM Mamata Banerjee said, "When a matter is sub-judice, we can't discuss its intricate details. So, we had the facility to record the proceedings. I had decided that we would pass a resolution in memory of the deceased victim and Sitaram Yechury, who passed away today. We also want justice, but the matter is now with the CBI, not us. We are open-minded about live telecasting but there are legal constraints due to the case being sub-judice."
She added, "I am ready to resign for the sake of justice for common people, but they don’t want justice, they just want the chair. I don’t need the CM’s chair; I want justice for the victim."
Source: aajtak
We Could Have Had a Joint Press Conference: Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee said, "I respect the movement. I sat on a hunger strike for 26 days, but not a single minister from the Left Front government came for talks. I am ready to resign for justice for common people, but they don’t want justice, they just want the chair. They could have raised this issue at the meeting. They could have met the press afterward, and we could have held a joint press conference. We hoped for an open dialogue in the interest of doctors and patients. Again, I say we won't take action against them. We invited a 15-member delegation of doctors, but they came with 34 members and still, we decided to go ahead with the meeting. Yet, they refused to enter the meeting hall."
She further said, "We did not call other top health department officials to facilitate the meeting. Over the past month, due to the lack of medical services in government hospitals, 27 patients have died. Recently, an accident victim at RG Kar died without treatment. 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 service providers."
Bengal Governor Targets Mamata Banerjee
Governor CV Anand Bose issued a statement targeting Mamata Banerjee. He said, "I am committed to the Constitution of India. I am committed to the people of Bengal. I am committed to those protesting for justice. According to my assessment, the government has failed in its duty. The Home Minister has failed to maintain law and order. The government has failed to ensure the rule of law in the state. The Health Minister has miserably failed. Ironically, instead of ensuring safety, the Health Minister, Home Minister, and Chief Minister are protesting. You can fool some people all the time and all people some of the time, but you can't fool all the people all the time."
