Slugfest continues over govt notice to Bengal CM adviser
Tension between West Bengal and the Centre continued to simmer on Tuesday over a showcause notice sent to former state chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the governor criticizing the state government.
On Monday, Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that she appointed Bandopadhyay, 60, as her chief adviser for three years and allowed him to retire.
The decision came three days after the Centre ordered Bandopadhyay to report to the department of personnel and training, amid a row over Banerjee skipping Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cyclone Yaas review meeting on May 28.
Late on Monday, the Union home ministry issued a showcause notice on Bandopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment for up to two years.“By this act of abstaining himself from the review meeting taken by the Prime Minister, who is also the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), in the aftermath of Cyclone Yaas as part of his visit to cyclone affected areas in the state of West Bengal, Sri Alapan Bandopadhyay, chief secretary, government of West Bengal, acted in a manner tantamount to refusing to comply with lawful directions of the Central government and is thus violative of Section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act 2005,” said the letter signed by Ashish Kumar Singh, under secretary to the government of India.
The signature was dated May 31, 2021. Bandopadhyay accompanied Banerjee for the May 28 meetings. The CM has repeatedly said she took the PM’s permission before leaving.
“Constrained by false narrative to put record straight: On May 27 at 2316 hrs CM @MamataOfficial messaged “may i talk? urgent”. Thereafter on phone indicated boycott by her & officials of PM Review Meet #CycloneYaas if LOP @SuvenduWB [Suvendu Adhikari] attends it. Ego prevailed over Public service,” he tweeted.
“With unparalleled trampling of constitutional values & affront to the office of PM, May 28 will go down as ‘a dark day’ in India’s long-standing ethos of cooperative federalism,” he added.
The showcause letter reached the state secretariat after Bandopadhyay retired, said TMC leaders. “This is an insult to Bandopadhyay. How can he be served a show cause notice after he has retired?” said TMC Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy.
Adhikari criticised the government and Bandopadhyay. “I demand strictest action be taken against the outgoing CS for indiscipline, violating service rules...”