Kolkata
West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay is not likely to report at Department of Personnel and Training, North Block, in the national capital on Monday. Despite being given an extension of three months as chief secretary on May 28, the Central government on Friday night issued a letter to Alapan repatriating him to North Block; he was asked to report in New Delhi on May 31.
Alapan’s dilemma and conflict accrue from the fact that he has also been asked to be present at a meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Cyclone Yaas on Monday.
According to West Bengal state secretariat sources, the West Bengal chief secretary is likely to keep his date with the Chief Minister. “Alapan is not likely to report at New Delhi tomorrow. Even today he along with his wife had visited Nabanna,” said state government sources.
Notably, Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to the BJP dispensation at the Centre on May 24 seeking extension of the chief secretary's services; the Central government had acceded her request and extended the services for three months.
But this was just before the spat with the Prime Minister whom she kept waiting for a review meeting on cyclone. A miffed Centre had responded by asking the chief secretary, Mamata’s man Friday, to report at New Delhi on May 31 despite having already given him an extension of three months on May 28.
According to Mamata Banerjee the BJP had filed a caveat and in case it moves the court then the TMC will also follow suit. On May 29, a seemingly conciliatory Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had claimed she can even touch the feet of PM Modi and requested the Central government to withdraw the letter of recall.
Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, state that in case of any disagreement, the matter shall be decided by the central government and the state government shall give effect to the decision.
Meanwhile, a day after BJP MLA and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari stated the transfer of Alapan was reasonable, as he had breached the protocol at the cyclone meeting with the PM, the Central BJP leaders has gagged the West Bengal BJP leaders from commenting on this issue till May 31.
Senior advocate Arunabha Ghosh said that since the chief secretary is directly under the Chief Minister, if she doesn’t release Alapan Bandyopadhyay immediately then it might create legal complications.
Jawhar Sircar, a former secretary to the Government of India said that the ruling Trinamool Congress government should politely draft a letter to the Central government asking it to withdraw the recall letter, in view of the raging paandemic.
