Mamata offers to resign after agitating doctors refuse to meet without live streaming

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she was "ready to resign" for the "sake of people" and expressed regret over the junior doctors' refusal to come for talks to resolve the impasse over the R G Kar rape-murder case.

Banerjee, who waited for nearly two hours for the agitating doctors to come for the meeting, said she also wanted the victim to get justice and apologised to the people of West Bengal for the continued deadlock.

"We have tolerated a lot of canards and insults for the last 33 days," she said at a press conference but assured the protesters that despite violating the Supreme Court directive by not resuming duties, she would not take action against them.

In a dramatic turn of events, agitating junior doctors, who reached the gates of the state secretariat Nabanna, refused to hold talks with the state government unless their demand for live streaming of the meeting was met.

The talks were to be held at 5 pm in the presence of Banerjee as demanded by the protesters, who after reaching the secretariat around 5.25 pm, stayed put at the venue gate.

Banerjee said the meeting with the junior doctors cannot be live-streamed as demanded by them because the issue is sub-judice and before the Supreme Court. She said her government had made arrangements to record it and hand over the recording to them with the permission of the apex court if needed.

"For the sake of the people, I am ready to resign. I also want the victim to get justice, but this is not the way. We have tolerated a lot of canards and insults for the last 33 days. I thought the junior doctors would engage in talks for the sake of the patients and on humanitarian grounds," she said.

"We have been waiting for over two hours, hoping that reason would guide the junior doctors... I apologise to the people who expected that the issue would be resolved today," she said and claimed that "external instructions" were influencing some junior doctors not to engage in discussions.

Referring to negative comments against her government on social media, she said, "Many tried to malign our government even on social media. People came out for justice but they don't know that there is a political colour diverting it... They want the chair. I am ready to resign from my post for the sake of the people. I don't want the chair."

Noting that around 27 patients have died and approximately 7 lakh people have suffered because of the ongoing 'cease work' by the junior doctors, Banerjee said, "I too want justice for the victim, but the doctors must rejoin work following the SC verdict."

The chief minister added that she is not acting against the agitating doctors and has forgiven them, as she is "older than the doctors."

"I am still saying that I will not take any action against them for not coming and making us wait for two hours. I will forgive them because as elders, it is our responsibility to forgive our younger ones," she asserted.

"I waited for three days for them to come, but they did not come... violated the SC directive. They have not rejoined work. But we have not taken any action as at times you need to deal with such situations with patience," she said.

Banerjee said she wanted discussions with them with an open mind as solutions can be reached only through discussions.

Banerjee said that some of the junior doctors were only carrying out instructions from "outside".

"I know many in the delegation were interested in talks. But two or three people were getting instructions from outside. We have seen that in the media as it was being recorded by the press. They were getting instructions asking them not to negotiate, not go to the meeting," the chief minister said.

She further claimed that those behind the political undertones "do not want justice. They want the chair."

"Uttar Pradesh took action (in cases of such stalemate situations). We also have ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act), but I will not use it. I am not a supporter of Emergency," she said.

Banerjee urged that the doctors to return to work, emphasising that people are suffering, including those needing heart or kidney operations and women in advanced stages of pregnancy.

"If the families of patients who suffer because of the protest want an answer from us, we will be ready for that," she added.

"I have tried my best to speak to the doctors. I apologise to the people of West Bengal, the people of the country, and the world who are supporting them. We also want justice for the victim and for the patients of West Bengal who are suffering," she said.

The junior doctors began their strike on August 9, hours after the body of the female trainee was found in the seminar room of the hospital. Since then, the protest has escalated, leading to disruptions in healthcare services at state-run hospitals across West Bengal.