Relieve Chief Secy for Central Deputation: Govt to Bengal Amid Row

This comes on a day when a fresh row erupted between BJP and Mamata Banerjee over PM Modi’s meeting on Cyclone Yaas.

Narendra Modi and Mamata Banerjee.

(Photo: Kamran Akhter/The Quint)

The Government of India on Friday, 28 May, asked the West Bengal government to relieve Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay for further posting at the Centre.

This came on a day when a fresh row erupted between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting on Cyclone Yaas.

A communication read, “... The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the placement of the services of Alapan Bandyopadhyay, IAS (WB: 1987) with the Government of India, as per provisions of Rule 6(1) of the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, with the immediate effect. Accordingly, the State Government is requested to relieve the officer with immediate effect and direct him to report to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), North Block, New Delhi, by 10 am on 31 May 2021.”

Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer, took over as the chief secretary after Rajiv Sinha retired in September last year. He was due to retire on 31 May, but received a three-month extension from DoPT on a request from the state government to continue tackling the COVID situation in the state.

DoPT is the cadre-controlling authority of IAS officers and comes under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

The Centre has cited Section 6(1) of the IAS Cadre Rules in the communication, which states that a cadre officer may be deputed to the Centre with the concurrence of the state government.

WHAT HAPPENED DURING CYCLONE YAAS MEET?

On Friday, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee met PM Modi at the Kalaikunda Air Force Station, where she handed over a preliminary report on the damages caused by Cyclone Yaas.

However, according to reports, Banerjee left soon after handing over the papers during the review meeting.

According to sources cited by news agency ANI, the West Bengal CM, upon entering the review meeting, handed over the papers related to the impact of the cyclone and said that other meetings were lined up and left.

As per Banerjee, she took the prime minister’s permission and left as she had to meet the state’s officials in Digha.

This was the first time the two of them met since the acrimonious West Bengal polls ended last month, giving a sweeping victory to the TMC over the BJP.