Conspiracy hatched to attack agitating medics to defame Mamata government: TMC leader

Kolkata: Senior Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh on Friday claimed that some opposition political forces have hatched a conspiracy to attack the protesting junior doctors to defame the Mamata Banerjee government and the ruling party of West Bengal.

The medics’ sit-in outside Swasthya Bhavan, the state health department headquarters, entered the fourth day on Friday. They are demanding removal of top officials of the department for their alleged involvement in corruption in medical colleges in the state.

Holding a press conference, Ghosh, a former Rajya Sabha MP, played a purported audio clip in which two persons are heard planning to "attack the junior doctors on their return from (state secretariat) Nabanna on September 12 night".

The medics had gone to Nabanna on September 12 to hold talks with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to resolve the RG Kar impasse. The meeting, however, did not take place as the state government did not agree to live-streaming the talks as demanded by junior doctors.

"The audio clip makes it clear that some people wanted to attack the junior doctors last night and they may be at the game again. We have asked the police and security forces to be on alert and ensure that it doesn't happen. We are hopeful about peacefully resolving the issue," the TMC leader said.

PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the audio clip.

Ghosh asserted that the party has credible information that some Left and ultra Left parties are conspiring to infiltrate into the ranks of the protestors and carry on attacks to defame the TMC and the Mamata Banerjee government.

He alleged that Left parties and BJP have joined hands to foment large-scale disturbances at their sit-in spot and create a situation which can be exploited by them to shift the blame on the TMC.

The junior doctors have been demonstrating outside Swasthya Bhavan since September 10 to protest against alleged corruption in the medical education sector. The CBI which is investigating financial irregularities in state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital arrested its former principal Sandip Ghosh.

The central agency is also probing the rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee in the same hospital on August 9, following which junior doctors have been on ‘cease work’ demanding justice for the victim and stronger security measures at medical establishments.

Kunal Ghosh said, "We are not against peaceful democratic protests. Our leader, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has repeatedly said she is ready to hold discussions with the junior doctors in an open mind (to solve the impasse)."

While most of the agitating doctors are willing to resolve the deadlock and hold discussions in a positive manner, a handful of outsiders from the Left and ultra-Left outfits don't want any solution, he claimed.

"They are doing a politics of vulture. Plans are afoot to bring hoodlums from outside Kolkata," the TMC leader said.

Ghosh alleged leaders of various political parties, including the CPI(M) and the BJP, are visiting the sit-in site with a political agenda and trying to influence the agitating junior doctors.

Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said the BJP will not allow anyone to touch junior doctors.

Alleging that the TMC was plotting a conspiracy against the movement, Adhikari said, "If any untoward incident happens, people of Bengal will paralyse the state. Our party workers and supporters will also be among them."