Acted on directions of Chief Minister: Ex-Bengal CS Alapan Bandopadhyay responds to Centre's notice

The central government on Tuesday served a show cause notice to  Bandyopadhyay for skipping Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cyclone Yaas review meeting on May 28 at Kalaikunda in the state.

In his response letter to the Centre, as reported by local media ABP news channel, he stated: "I went to PM's meeting with CM after getting her order and left the meeting with her follower CM's direction. As a Chief Secretary of a state, it's my duty to act on the directions of the state's Chief Minister."

Newly appointed Chief Secretary Hari Krishna Dwivedi too sent a letter to the Centre explaining the current role of Alapan Bandhopadhyay as the Chief Advisor to the CM.

Contrary to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's claim, Under Secretary to the Indian Government Ashish Kumar Singh wrote in the letter that the Prime Minister had waited for the CM and Bandyopadhyay in the meeting on May 28.

Banerjee, who has appointed Bandyopadhyay as her Chief Advisor on Monday, said she along with the then Chief Secretary had left the review meeting taking permission thrice from the Prime Minister.

Snubbing the Centre's earlier call, Bandyopadhyay retired on Monday declining an extension period of three months earlier granted by the central government as per the State's request.

Describing the Bandopadhyay's conduct on May 28, the Government sources on Wednesday said that his action has made a severe dent to the prestigious Indian Administrative Service(IAS), a ‘steel frame’ of India as devised by Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel.

Citing the current controversy – conduct of Alapan Bandyopadhyay skipping the ‘review meeting’ chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 aftermath of Cyclone Yaas, the sources further noted that a chief secretary cannot be working like personal staff of Chief Minister, no matter howsoever senior, an advisor or principal secretary.

“He is chief secretary to the state, not to the Chief Minister. It is precisely for this reason all important correspondence, whether from the centre, or the court, the President House or the Governor House are marked through him, not through the Advisor or Principal Secretary to CM," they said.

“Did he take a rational and judicious view and decision on the spot or was he completely left himself to the whims of chief minister so that his post-retiral could be handsomely rewarding?," they questioned.

They also said that if Bandyopadhyay was really occupied and could not have avoided his pre-scheduled engagements but the big question is what prevented him from deputing a senior officer to attend review meeting on his behalf especially when the review meeting was held by the PM himself who had come for the meeting after making an aerial survey of Cyclone YAAS affected areas.

The sources also commented that what if central government officers in various departments concerned including the Public Sector Undertaking (PSUs) and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) refuse to attend meetings called by the Chief Secretary whole lot of situations, including calamities. Would that not amount to institutional breakdown in a federal structure? the sources asked.

(With UNI inputs)