NEW DELHI: Meeting between West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and protests junior doctor failed to take place at the last moment as a deadlock between the live broadcast and video recording continued.
The deadlock, which almost ended on Saturday afternoon, now remains as the protestors refused to give up their demands, so they had to leave CM Mamata’s house.
However, the protesters claimed that they had agreed to a meeting without video recording but were told by government officials that “it is too late and there is no meeting now”.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mamata Banerjee tried to persuade the medics to attend the talks, with an assurance that she would provide the video of the meeting, recorded by her government, after the Supreme Court gave its approval.
The doctor refused his request for at least three hours – causing the meeting to be cancelled.
Here are the top developments:
The deadlock, which almost ended on Saturday afternoon, now remains as the protestors refused to give up their demands, so they had to leave CM Mamata’s house.
However, the protesters claimed that they had agreed to a meeting without video recording but were told by government officials that “it is too late and there is no meeting now”.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mamata Banerjee tried to persuade the medics to attend the talks, with an assurance that she would provide the video of the meeting, recorded by her government, after the Supreme Court gave its approval.
The doctor refused his request for at least three hours – causing the meeting to be cancelled.
Here are the top developments:
- Mamata Banerjee on Saturday made a surprise visit to meet protesting junior doctors at Swasthya Bhawan in Salt Lake Kolkata.
- He urged the protesting doctors to resume work saying, “I have come to meet you as your ‘didi’ (elder brother), not as the chief minister,” he said. “I assure you that I will study your request and take action if someone is wrong.”
- After Banerjee’s visit, junior doctors wrote to the chief minister saying they were open to discussions to end the deadlock.
- The West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Front also wrote to the TMC supremo terming the visit to the protest site as a “tremendous gesture of goodwill.”
- In the evening a group of junior doctors came to Mamata’s house for a meeting. They arrived
Kalighat at 6.40 pm, get off the busHazra Road and walked in a procession to the CM’s house. - The doctors held their first meeting with the chief secretary outside the West Bengal CM’s residence before entering Mamata’s residence for another meeting with her.
- Before the meeting started, the junior doctors were asked to send their HP. The two videographers brought by the doctor to record the meeting were also not allowed to participate.
- “We are waiting in front of the CM’s house. Senior officials are talking to us. We told them that we are demanding livestreaming. They said it is not possible because it is the CM’s house. We then told them that we have come with our videographer. t let our videographer also ask questions those are the reasons why the doctor will not be allowed to wait outside Mamata’s house.
- Later, Mamata at 8.25pm spoke to the doctor and assured that the government “will videotape the meeting until it is over.”
RG Kar impasse, will provide for them “after the Supreme Court nod”. - Mamata asked the medical officers to tell them that they have made all the arrangements and asked the protesters to trust them.
- “I asked you with folded hands. I have made a place for you to sit and have also provided an umbrella. Why are you getting drenched? We will record the whole process but we cannot publish the video now as this case is in the hearing in the Supreme Court. Trust me, I will give the record to you after getting permission from the SC,” he told the protesting doctors.
- “You can’t keep insulting me like this,” Mamata told the protesters in a live streaming request.
- However, after discussing among themselves the doctors decided to have a meeting with the CM off the record but were asked to leave because “it was too late”.
- One of the protesting doctors who attended the meeting said they “want the meeting to happen and have moved away from all our demands”. He claimed that when he informed him of the changed decision, government officials asked him to leave and even threatened that “if he does not leave, they will force him out”.
- “They said they can’t wait for three hours when we have been waiting for 35 days. That means this is what we have planned. We have faith in the CM but this is what we got in return. We are disappointed,” said the protesting doctor,” said the protester.
