Not releasing Bengal CS Alapan Bandyopadhyay: Mamata in letter to Modi

Banerjee said she can't and won't release the Chief Secretary at a time the state is fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

"The government of Bengal cannot release, and is not releasing, its Chief Secretary at this critical hour, on the basis of our understanding that the earlier order of extension, issued after lawful consultation in accordance with applicable laws, remains operational and valid," she said in the letter.

In careful but sharp comment, Banerjee wrote, "I am sure you will not inflict further suffering on the people of this state by taking away the services of an experienced officer, suddenly without any consultation and with no prior notice, whose continued presence in my state in these difficult times was accepted to be vital and necessary by your government four days back."

Banerjee has also asked the Prime Minister whether the recall order has any link to the Kalaikunda row.

"Does it have anything to do with our meeting at Kalaikunda?" she wrote, calling the recall order "legally untenable", "historically unprecedented" and "unconstitutional".

Within hours after Banerjee and the CS skipped Modi's cyclone Yaas review meeting on Friday at Kalaikunda in West Bengal, Bandyopadhyay was asked to report to the Department of Personnel and Training, North Block, New Delhi by 10 am on Monday.

The Centre had asked the state government to release Bandyopadhyay, whose tenure was extended by the Centre as per the State's request just days ago, from the charge.

The state government wanted the extension of Bandyopadhyay's tenure as he was handling COVID-19 situation.

However, the Chief Secretary has no plans to fly to Delhi as of now and instead he is scheduled to attend the Chief Minister's meeting on cyclone Yaas at state secretariat Nabanna at 3pm on Monday.

Referring to Yaas review meeting, Banerjee pointed out Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Nandigram, Suvendu Adhikari, to whom she had lost in the recently concluded polls, had no "locus" to be present in the "PM-CM meeting".

(From L to R) Alapan Bandyopadhyay (in blue jacket) and Mamata Banerjee (Image Credit: UNI)

She said, "I wanted to have a quiet word with you, a meeting between the Prime Minister and Chief Minister as usual," and added, "You however revised the structure of the meeting to include a local MLA from your party and I am on the view (based on my knowledge of the affairs of the state for about 40 years) that he had no locus to be present at a PM-CM meeting."

"Finally, keeping aside my legitimate reservations, I entered the meeting with the Chief Secretary of my state to hand over the report to you. You personally took the report from my hand, and then I specifically and expressly sought permission from you for us to leave for Digha, our next cyclone-ravaged destination, where a meeting was due and participants were waiting. You expressly permitted us to take our leave," the Chief Minister wrote.

Banerjee then appealed to the Centre to withdraw the recall order for "larger public interest".

Bandyopadhyay's recall has left the civil servant fraternity in shock as several former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers have come down heavily on the Centre.

Former state chief secretary Ardhendu Sen said as quoted by The Indian Express, "The state government is busy dealing with the pandemic and the aftermath of a natural disaster. Given the situation, how could the central government issue a transfer order to the chief secretary?

"This will definitely hinder the functioning of the state administration. We expect the central government to help out the state at a time like this. Though the Centre has the jurisdiction (to recall the chief secretary), there is no doubt that the instructions issued by the Union government at this time are absolutely undesirable."

Former IAS officer Jawhar Sircar had tweeted, "Have Modi Shah gone crazy? Just 1 working day left for West Bengal’s Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyaya to retire — they have transferred him to Delhi! CM wanted 3 months extra. It’s deliberate sabotage of Cyclone Relief, Covid Control + Revenge for 48% Bengal vote against BJP."

Banerjee, who has emerged as a popular anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) face following her thumping win in the state polls this year, has garnered support from other opposition parties over the entire row.

Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala tweeted, "Modi Govt’s Malicious Recall of Bengal Chief Secretary is death knell for Federalism. Union Govt’s Lethal Assault on Democracy will create Anarchy in the Country!!"

In the same tune, Congress senior leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, "Independent India hasn’t seen a PM and HM with bigger egos and smaller minds. This move in the middle of a pandemic and the aftermath of a devastating cyclone, shows how they are still licking their Bengal wounds post elections. Pathetic!"

Slamming the Modi government, Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief, Arvind Kejriwal, tweeted, "This is not the time to fight with the state governments, but to fight Corona together with everyone.

"This is the time to help the state governments, to provide them with vaccines, to work with all the state governments as Team India. The entire life is left to fight and do politics."