Mamata Banerjee’s ‘fifth and final’ invite to protesting doctors for talks today

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has sent a “fifth and final” invitation to protesting doctors for talks at her residence in Kolkata, even as the deadlock between the two sides over the Kolkata doctor’s rape-murder continues. The doctors have been invited for a meeting at 5 pm.
“This is the fifth and final time we are reaching out to you for a meeting between the Honourable Chief Minister and your delegates. In line with our discussion from the day before, we are once again inviting you to a meeting with the Honourable Chief Minister at her Kalighat residence for a discussion with an open mind,” Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Pant’s letter to the doctors read.
The doctors are currently holding a general body meeting after which they will decide whether they accept the invitation for talks.
“We trust that good sense will prevail, and as mutually agreed and as per your statement to the media day before, there will be no live-streaming or videography of the meeting, given that the matter is sub judice in the highest court of the country. Instead, the minutes of the meeting will be recorded and signed by both parties,” the letter said.
The same delegation that engaged in talks with Banerjee for the last meeting at her residence on Saturday has been asked to arrive at the Bengal Chief Minister’s residence at 4.45 pm.
“We look forward to your positive response and a productive and fruitful discussion,” the letter further said.
A delegation of protesting doctors met Mamata Banerjee at her residence on Saturday as they continued their protests, demanding justice for the gruesome rape-murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at the RG Kar hospital. It came after she made a surprise visit to the protest site near Swasthyo Bhavan the same day, and assured the doctors their demands would be addressed.
Banerjee had asked the doctors to join the talks as they stuck to their demand to livestream the meeting. The talks did not go as planned, with Banerjee citing constraints about the livestream. She also invited them for tea at her house, but they declined it, saying they would only accept when justice is served.
Live-streaming the meeting has been the primary reason behind the month-long impasse between the two sides. On Saturday, Mamata Banerjee got frustrated with the delay in the talks, asking the doctors not to “insult” her.
The doctors, however, claimed they were asked to leave “unceremoniously” on Saturday after waiting for three hours outside Banerjee’s residence. They also claimed they agreed to have the meeting without the live-streaming, but that upon notifying Minister of State for Health, Chandrima Bhattacharya, of the same, they were asked to leave as it was too late.
BJP’s IT-cell head Amit Malviya jabbed the Banerjee-headed Bengal government over the latest letter to protesting doctors, calling it “laced with overtones of intimidation”.
He also called the Bengal Chief Minister “evil” and warned the protesting doctors that she will “use the meeting to her political advantage”.
“This attempt to reach out, just before the Supreme Court is to hear the matter, is yet another attempt to present a benign face before the Court. Using ‘sub judice’ as the reason to decline request for live-streaming/videography is absolute trash and smacks of a conspiracy,” he tweeted.