Kolkata: Despite request from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, junior doctors firm on not withdrawing their hunger strike before their meeting with Mamata on Monday.
Talking to the media, Debashish Haldar, a protesting doctor said that we are told that we always go ‘late’, but this time we will reach on time.
“So far we were intimated at the last hour for every meeting. This time we will go on time. She spoke with us on Saturday and we wanted to meet then, but she has given time on Monday. We will not withdraw the hunger strike. The doctors who are on hunger strike are hurt with the conversation. We will again intimate the Chief Minister about our 10 demands as it was clear that either she is not aware of them or no one has informed her,” said Haldar.
Haldar also mentioned that if the administration doesn’t sit for the meeting as the hunger strike is not being withdrawn then the junior medics will go on strike on Tuesday.
Notably, after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke with the junior medics over phone on Saturday, Chief Secretary Manoj Pant had sent an email to the junior doctors asking them to withdraw the hunger strike before the meeting at the state secretariat Nabanna on Monday at 5 pm.
On the other hand, the joint platform of doctors had sent an email to the Chief Minister after Mamata refused to remove Health Secretary Swaroop Nigam.
The junior doctors also mentioned that they are collecting evidence against the health secretary that they will submit before the Chief Minister.
“It is not our juvenile adamance. There is evidence that the present health secretary is associated with corruption. We want to remove him as we don’t want a repeat of the RG Kar incident,” said Dr. Haldar.
Meanwhile, the junior medics had called for a 'mass gathering' (Chitkar Samabesh) on Sunday evening which saw a huge crowd of people from all walks of life. This gathering was called to shout out the 10 demands that the junior medics have kept before the state administration.
However, opposition slams the Chief Minister for allegedly ‘misleading’ the junior medics over recruitment of police and for delay in the meeting.
Activist Pabitra Sarkar said that he failed to understand the ‘drama’ done by the Chief Minister for calling the meeting on Monday.
Lawyer Bikram Banerjee said, “CM has misled the junior medics as there is no stay by the apex court over recruitment of police.”
