From where are you getting so much money? TMC Minister questions agitating junior doctors

Kolkata: In a controversial statement, West Bengal's Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay intensified the pressure on junior doctors protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at RG Kar Medical College Hospital.

Chattopadhyay was speaking at a post-Durga Puja get-together organised by the TMC at his constituency Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday. A video of his address went viral on Thursday, triggering a fresh war of words with the junior doctors.

PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the video.

According to the PTI report, he said, "May I ask them, why are you agitating? For what reason are you agitating? Why is all the anger directed at the government?"

Also Read:RG Kar Case: 3 Junior doctors discharged from Medical College Hospital

"What is the source of your funds? From where are you getting so much money?" he added.

Reacting strongly, senior doctor Subarna Goswami said the "outburst" showed the discomfiture of the establishment as issues concerning the healthcare system are being flagged by junior doctors.

West Bengal Junior Doctors' Front member Swarnabha Ghosh said they have been agitating for justice for the trainee doctor who was raped and murdered while on duty at the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9.

The protests are also against the "threat culture" or an atmosphere of intimidation at the state-run medical colleges, and to cleanse the healthcare system of corruption, he added.

Earlier, senior TMC leaders such as MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay, MLAs Saukat Molla and Tapas Chatterjee made snide remarks about the agitation by the junior doctors, claiming that they have a political agenda, news agency PTI reported.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that the wife of the prime suspect, Sandip Ghosh in the RG Kar rape and murder of a PG trainee doctor case approached the Calcutta High Court seeking reconsideration of the West Bengal Medical Council's decision of cancelling Sandip's registration as a medical practitioner. In response, the Calcutta High Court has instructed the council to review the appeal submitted by her.

Also Read:RG Kar Stir: Doctors have always been ''soft targets'', says IMA Chief