West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday expressed her willingness to "step down for the sake of justice," but hinted that the ongoing protests related to the RG Kar Medical College incident were part of a political conspiracy to overthrow her government.
Banerjee reaffirmed her government’s commitment to engaging in talks with the doctors who have been protesting the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at the medical college. Despite a Supreme Court directive for the doctors to resume work by September 10, the strike continues.
"I believe most of the doctors were genuinely interested in resolving the issue through dialogue, but it seems a few are intent on maintaining a deadlock," Banerjee said.
Without naming any political party directly, Banerjee implied that the protests were being orchestrated by political factions, suggesting that the Left might be involved.
"I am ready to resign if that’s what it takes for justice, but their goal isn’t justice—it’s power," she remarked.
The stalemate between the government and the protesting doctors has now stretched into its third consecutive day, with no resolution in sight. Banerjee claimed she had been waiting for two hours at the state secretariat to meet with the doctors, but they refused to participate, insisting that the meeting be live-streamed.
Banerjee expressed her government’s openness to the live-streaming request but pointed out legal challenges due to the ongoing court case.
"We were fully prepared to record the meeting for transparency and even provide the footage to the Supreme Court, but legal restrictions tied to the case prevented a public broadcast of the discussions," she explained.
Banerjee further noted that the doctors came with a delegation of 34 members, even though the government had requested a team of 15. Nevertheless, her administration was still willing to engage, but the doctors refused to attend the meeting.
The Chief Minister highlighted the human cost of the ongoing strike, stating that 27 patients had died in the past month due to the lack of medical services in government hospitals.
"Recently, a patient involved in an accident died at RG Kar hospital without receiving treatment. What do we say to his grieving family?" Banerjee asked.