Kalyan Banerjee mocks Jr Doctors' hunger strike, calls it 'fast-unto-hospitalisation'

Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Monday took a strong stance against the junior doctors protesting over the RG Kar Medical College incident, accusing them of conducting a “fast-unto-hospitalisation” rather than a genuine hunger strike. His comments have sparked controversy as the doctors’ hunger strike entered its 10th day, with one protester being hospitalized.

Speaking to the media, Banerjee ridiculed the hunger strike’s progression, suggesting that it starts at the protest venue and swiftly ends with the doctors being admitted to the hospital. He implied that the doctors' main aim was to attract media attention rather than press for genuine change. “What kind of hunger strike is this? It starts from the protest venue and ends once they get hospitalized. The hunger strike that we know is a fast-unto-death, not a fast-unto-hospitalisation,” he remarked, adding, “Do they have just this much fire in their belly?”

Banerjee further questioned the sincerity of the doctors, citing an example of one doctor who, according to him, joined the strike only to be hospitalized the next day. “Such tricks are being employed to gain media attention,” Banerjee added, clearly suggesting that the doctors’ efforts were more about spectacle than substance.

The junior doctors’ hunger strike, which began on October 5, is the latest phase in their ongoing agitation following the tragic rape and murder of a postgraduate trainee at RG Kar Medical College on August 9. Despite Banerjee’s remarks, the doctors remain steadfast in their demands for justice and improved safety measures for medical professionals.