RG Kar rape case: Bengal govt vs BJP over Mamata Banerjee meeting chaos; TMC MP calls protesters ‘unfit’ to be doctors
The Trinamool Congress on Thursday criticised the agitating doctors of West Bengal for refusing to hold talks with the state government because it did not agree to their demand to livestream the meeting.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee called the medics “inhumane” and said that they are “unfit to become doctors”. He also urged the West Bengal government to ensure that they are not allowed to appear for their final exams.
The outburst came after the junior doctors, even after reaching the gates of the state secretariat Nabanna, refused to hold talks with the state government unless their demand for live streaming of the meeting to resolve the RG Kar hospital impasse was met.
Doctors across the state have been on strike since August 9 demanding justice for the junior doctor who was raped and murdered in RG Kar Hospital last month.
Mamata Banerjee, who waited for nearly two hours for the agitating doctors to come for the meeting, expressed regret over the junior doctors’ refusal to come for talks. She also offered to resign from her post.
“Those doctors, who are agitating for the last month, putting the lives of lakhs of patients at stake, do not deserve to be a doctor. They are unfit to become doctors,” Kalyan Banerjee told reporters, according to PTI.
“I failed to understand how these medics behave so inhumanly. I would urge the state government to ensure that these junior doctors who have been protesting are not allowed to appear for their final exams,” Kalyan Banerjee added.
His sentiments were echoed by his colleague and Rajya Sabha MP, Saket Gokhale.
In a post on X, Gokhale lauded West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, saying that no other leader in India has shown this level of commitment to hold dialogue with protestors.
“Problem is the protest has been hijacked by CPM & BJP where the goal doesn’t seem to be resolution but to prolong the deadlock. Junior doctors must realize that BJP & CPM are using them as pawns. This dirty level of politicization is resulting in the suffering of lakhs of patients,” he said.
Gokhale added: “It is very unfortunate that when a dialog is offered & when the CM herself is ready, the goalposts are constantly shifted every day.”
BJP targets Mamata Banerjee
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused Mamata Banerjee for “snubbing” the protesters and calling off the meeting.
BJP leader Amit Malviya claimed that Mamata Banerjee did not agree to the demand to livestream the meeting because she was scared of transparency.
“Shame on Mamata Banerjee for snubbing protesting Junior Doctors and calling off the meeting. The doctors’ delegation traveled all the way to meet her at Nabanno, but West Bengal Chief Minister, scared of transparency, didn’t agree to live stream the proceedings. She then unilaterally called off the meeting, addressed the press, targeted the Junior Doctors and blamed them for patient deaths. Disingenuous,” he wrote on X.
“She was scared of uncomfortable questions on her and Commissioner of Kolkata Police’s role in covering up rape and murder of the young lady doctor at RG Kar Medical College & Hospital,” he added.
Malviya also demanded that Banerjee must step down from her post to ensure free and fair investigation in the case.