WB Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay Gets Recalled Amid Fresh Row Over PM Modi-CM Mamata Meet

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to grant Bandyopadhyay an extension for at least six months as he had extensive experience with respect to handling the Covid-19 pandemic, with the threat of Cyclone Yaas also coming in.

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Kolkata: Amid a fresh row between the Centre and West Bengal state government, West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was asked to report to New Delhi as his services were sought there, a move termed by the ruling Trinamool Congress as "forced deputation".

This decision came in barely four days after he was granted an extension.

Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, was scheduled to retire on May 31 after completion of 60 years of age.

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to grant Bandyopadhyay an extension for at least six months as he had extensive experience with respect to handling the Covid-19 pandemic, with the threat of Cyclone Yaas also coming in.

He was granted a three-month extension following a nod from the Centre.

On May 24, Banerjee, while announcing the extension, had said: "Our chief secretary has got an extension for three months. We are happy because he has got the experience of working during last year's Amphan as well as during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic".

However, in a communique to the state government, the Personnel Ministry on Friday said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the placement of the services of Bandyopadhyay with the Government of India as per provisions of the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954, "with immediate effect".

The Ministry also directed Bandyopadhyay to report to the Department of Personnel and Training, North Block, New Delhi by 10 am on May 31, while asking the state government to relieve the officer with immediate effect.

The IAS cadre rule says a cadre officer may, with the concurrence of the state governments concerned and the central government, be deputed for service under the central government or another state government.

"Provided that in case of any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the central government and the state government or state governments concerned shall give effect to the decision of the central government," it says.

The Trinamool Congress has spoken up against the order claiming that the decision to seek Bandyopadhyay's services was because the people of the state gave an overwhelming mandate to the chief minister.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy described it as "forced central deputation" of the chief secretary and asked, "Has this ever happened since Independence? Forced central deputation of a chief secretary of a state? How much lower will Modi-Shah's BJP stoop?"

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the decision was taken to derail the good work done by Bandyopadhyay, "a true soldier of Mamata Banerjee".

"The BJP is yet to accept their loss in the assembly elections and that is why they are doing such petty politics. This is nothing but vindictive politics of the BJP," he claimed.

"At a time when Bengal is facing the Covid pandemic and the devastations caused by Cyclone Yaas, the central government is trying to make the people of the state suffer. They are acting like an enemy of the people of Bengal," Ghosh said.

On the other hand, BJP's state general secretary Sayantan Basu told news agency PTI that it was an administrative decision by the Centre. "It is an administrative issue involving two governments and the state BJP has nothing to comment on it," he said.

Bandyopadhyay became the chief secretary of West Bengal after Rajiva Sinha retired in September last year.

PM Modi's Review Meet

This order came on the day when PM Modi visited Odisha and West Bengal to review the situation and damages caused by Cyclone Yaas. West Bengal Chief Minister was earlier in the day reported to have skipped the review meeting.

According to sources cited by news agency ANI, West Bengal CM and Chief Secretary arrived late by 30 mins for cyclone review meet despite being in the same premises. It has been reported that the CM upon entering the review meet handed over papers related to the cyclone impact and left saying that other meetings were lined up.

Sources close to West Bengal CM said that she was asked to reach 20 minutes later from the original schedule and later her chopper was moved around for 15 more minutes. She was asked to wait when she reached, as the review meet had started already.

CM Mamata along with Chief Secretary entered and greeted PM. They spoke to each other, she handed over the notes of damages, took his permission and came to Digha. PM Modi was also told that there's a review meeting in Digha, they said.

Earlier in the day, it was speculated that CM Mamata may skip the meeting as there is an objection raised to the presence of her protege turned leader of opposition Suvendhu Adhikari. 

Several senior BJP leaders and Ministers such as Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan have criticised CM Mamata Banerjee over the alleged conduct.

This is the second time that the Union government has invoked the All India Services Rule in the last five months. Earlier in December, the Centre had directed the West Bengal government to immediately relieve three IPS officers so that they could join their new assignments at the Centre.

The officers, Rajeev Mishra (1996 batch), Praveen Tripathi (2004 batch) and Bholanath Pandey (2011 batch), were directed to report on central deputation in December last year after the West Bengal government refused to send its chief secretary and police chief to Delhi to discuss the law and order situation in the state.

The three were responsible for the security of BJP President JP Nadda during his visit to the state for building up momentum for electioneering when his convoy was attacked at Diamond Harbour.

However, according to the officials, these three officers were never released by the state government.

(With inputs from agencies)