Today, On 12th September, Amid the ongoing stand-off with doctors, Mamata Banerjee expressed her willingness to resign as Chief Minister. “In the interest of the people, I am ready to step down. I don’t want the post of Chief Minister; I want justice for Tilottama and access to medical treatment for common people,” she stated during a press conference. Her comments came after waiting two hours for the junior doctors’ delegation.
Kolkata: Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, after being stood up by junior doctors invited for a meeting at the state secretariat, delivered an emotional speech, stating she was not attached to holding the top post and willing to step down “in the interest of the people.”
She assured doctors that no action would be taken against them and reiterated the government’s openness to dialogue.
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Banerjee directed her frustration toward those she believed were orchestrating the protest for political gain, remarking,
“Our government has been insulted. Common people don’t realize there’s a political agenda behind this.”
She added,
“They don’t want justice. They want the chair.”
Mamata Banerjee remarked that those driving the political agenda “do not want justice, they want the chair.”
She said at a press conference after waiting two hours for the junior doctors’ delegation,
“In the interest of the people, I am ready to step down. I do not want the post of Chief Minister. I want justice for Tilottama, and I want common people to receive medical treatment,”
The doctors arrived at the secretariat for the meeting scheduled at 5 PM but refused to enter, demanding live transmission of the proceedings a request the government declined, citing the ongoing Supreme Court hearing. While other demands, such as increasing the delegation to 33 members, accepted, the live transmission issue stalled the meeting many had hoped would resolve the impasse.
Banerjee claimed the doctors were acting on external instructions,
“I know many wanted to negotiate, but two or three people outside were giving orders. We saw it because the press, standing right behind, recorded them saying, ‘Do not negotiate, don’t go to the meeting.'”
After waiting two hours, Banerjee apologized to the people of Bengal,
“I apologize for the emotions of the people. You expected this matter to be resolved today.”
She added, with folded hands,
“I’ve been sitting here for two hours, as I did yesterday. Not just me, but senior officials, too, against whom complaints are constantly made.”
Mamata Banerjee stated that, unlike Uttar Pradesh, she would not take drastic measures against the protesting doctors.
She said,
“We also have ESMA (Essential Services Maintenance Act), but I will not enforce it. I am not a supporter of Emergency,”
Her appeal was for the doctors to return to work, stressing that patients in need those requiring heart or kidney surgeries, heart attack patients, or pregnant women were suffering.
However, she added,
“If families of patients who suffer due to the protest demand answers, we will be ready for that.”
The government has already claimed that 27 people have died because of the disruption in healthcare services, an allegation the doctors have denied.
Banerjee said,
“I have done my best to speak to the doctors. I apologize to the people of Bengal, the country, and the world supporting them. Please continue to support them. We also want justice—for Tilottama and for the suffering patients of Bengal,”
The aborted meeting follows a month-long standoff between doctors and the state government over the August 9 rape-murder of a young doctor at RG Kar Medical College.
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The doctors accuse the government of trying to cover up the case and protecting former Principal Sandip Ghosh, who has been arrested by the CBI in a corruption case. The protesting doctors demand the resignation of several officials, including Kolkata police chief Vineet Goyal and two senior health department officials, and have refused to back down until their demands are met.
The Supreme Court has taken note of the matter, leaving the state government to address the ongoing protest. Meanwhile, the CBI is investigating both the rape-murder case and financial irregularities at the hospital.