Kolkata protest: TMC MP labels protesting medics as 'unfit to be doctors'

The state's medical community has been on strike since August 9, seeking justice for a junior doctor who was raped and murdered last month at Kolkata's RG Kar Hospital

The Trinamool Congress on Thursday criticised the protesting doctors in West Bengal for refusing to engage with the state government after their request to livestream the meeting was denied.
 

Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee labelled the doctors “inhumane” and declared them “unfit to become doctors”. He also called on the West Bengal government to bar them from sitting for their final exams.

His remarks came after junior doctors, who had reached the gates of the state secretariat Nabanna, but refused to meet with government officials unless their demand for live streaming the discussions to resolve the RG Kar Hospital standoff was met.

 

The state’s medical community has been on strike since August 9, seeking justice for a junior doctor who was raped and murdered last month at RG Kar Hospital.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who waited for nearly two hours for the agitating doctors to attend the meeting, expressed disappointment at their refusal to negotiate and even offered to resign from her position.

“Those doctors who have been protesting for a month, jeopardising the lives of lakhs of patients, do not deserve to be doctors. They are unfit to become doctors,” Kalyan Banerjee told reporters, according to PTI.
 

“I cannot comprehend how these medics are behaving so inhumanly. I urge the state government to ensure that these junior doctors are not allowed to appear for their final exams,” he added.

Gokhale accuses BJP, CPM politicisation

Echoing Banerjee’s sentiments, Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale praised the Chief Minister’s efforts to engage with the protestors, saying no other leader in India had shown such commitment.
 

In a post on X, Gokhale accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPM] and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of politicising the issue. “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 said, “It is very unfortunate that when a dialog is offered & when the CM herself is ready, the goalposts are constantly shifted every day.”
 

West Bengal CM @MamataOfficial is waiting since the last couple of hours for meeting the junior doctors. They still haven’t shown up.

No other leader in India has shown this level of commitment to dialogue with protestors.

Problem is the protest has been hijacked by CPM & BJP… pic.twitter.com/ahv4gUxgeJ

— Saket Gokhale MP (@SaketGokhale) September 12, 2024

BJP lashes out at Mamata Banerjee
 

In response, the BJP accused Mamata Banerjee of “snubbing” the protesting doctors by calling off the meeting. BJP leader Amit Malviya criticised Banerjee for refusing to livestream the talks, accusing her of avoiding 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 Nabanna, 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.

He further accused Banerjee and the Kolkata Police Commissioner of covering up the rape and murder of the junior doctor at RG Kar Hospital. Malviya also demanded that Mamata Banerjee resign to ensure a free and fair investigation into the case.