Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant sent a fresh release to the protesting junior doctors, giving them a new deadline to send a delegation to the state secretariat Nabanna by 5 pm on Thursday. But the striking doctors remained adamant on their demand for live streaming of the meeting, due to which the talks could not be possible.
The West Bengal government had once again invited the agitating doctors for talks. But this meeting could not take place. The striking doctors remained adamant on their demand for live streaming of the meeting, due to which the talks could not be possible. Mamata Banerjee waited in the conference hall for about two hours for this meeting, but the delegation of doctors did not arrive. After this, Mamata Banerjee came live and said that I apologize to the public. Along with this, she said that she is also ready to resign.
Mamata Banerjee told the media about the delegation of protesting doctors not joining the talks, “I am ready to resign from the post of Chief Minister of West Bengal. I do not care about this post. I want justice, I only worry about justice being done.”
Let us tell you that in the latest press release issued regarding the talks of protesting junior doctors with Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Secretary had rejected two important conditions of attending the meeting of junior doctors, first related to the 30-member delegation and second, the demand for live telecast of the proposed meeting.
The letter of the Chief Secretary states, “Only a representative team of 15 persons will participate in the meeting, so that smooth discussion can take place. The meeting will not be telecast live. However, it can be recorded to maintain transparency.”
Later the Chief Secretary clarified that as per the demand of the protesting junior doctors, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee would be happy to meet them.
This press release was sent from the office of the Chief Secretary on Thursday.
The protesting junior doctors, under the banner of West Bengal Junior Doctors Forum (WBJDF), are on a sit-in protest for the third day.
Meanwhile, Joint Platform of Doctors (JPD), an organisation of senior doctors in West Bengal, expressed full solidarity with the stand of the junior doctors and even threatened to join the protest by stopping work if the state government initiates any action against their junior counterparts.
In the afternoon, a team of representatives from JPD reached the sit-in venue organised by WBJDF in Salt Lake and made a clear announcement in this regard.
The senior doctors had also supported the junior doctors’ demand for live telecast of the meeting for transparency.
On Wednesday afternoon, the protesting junior doctors rejected the earlier letter given by the Chief Secretary for talks and laid down four conditions in this regard.
The protesters’ conditions for the discussion were a delegation of 30 representatives, a meeting in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, live telecast of the meeting for transparency among all parties and a meeting based on a five-point agenda.
The key demands in the already outlined five-point agenda include the suspension of the state health secretary, state health services director and director of medical education.
Earlier on Monday, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court had set a deadline for the protesting junior doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday. Following this, the chief minister had also issued a similar appeal.
However, despite this, the protesting doctors are continuing their agitation demanding justice for the rape and murder victim.
