Mamata meets PM with devastation report; Centre later recalls Chief Secy

Kolkata: The confrontation between the Centre and the state following a row over the meeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to assess the impact of Cyclone Yaas in Bengal further deepened with the Modi government's order to recall Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay to Delhi.

The Chief Secretary received the letter from the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions hours after Banerjee skipped the Prime Minister's meeting at Kalaikunda airbase to move ahead to attend an important field review meeting in Digha for "personal hands-on knowledge" of the devastation caused in East Midnapore.

Though Banerjee clearly stated that she had moved ahead to attend Digha's meeting only after taking permission from the Prime Minister and handing him over the primary assessment report of the damage caused by the cyclone in the state in a 15-minute interaction, the statement from unofficial levels in the Centre started flowing in that she kept the Prime Minister and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar waiting for half-an-hour.

The Centre's statement from different levels even began describing her action as "callous, arrogant and supremely unmindful of the welfare of the people of her state" and has dealt "an unprecedented blow to propriety and federalism" with her petulant behaviour. BJP's national president JP Nadda, Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union Home minister Amit Shah took to Twitter condemning the incident. Shah tweeted: "Mamata Didi's conduct today is an unfortunate low. Cyclone Yaas has affected several common citizens and the need of the hour is to assist those affected. Sadly, Didi has put arrogance above public welfare and today's petty behaviour reflects that." The Governor has even used the term "boycott" while reacting to it.

This comes when Banerjee, who had taken aerial surveys of North and South 24-Parganas since morning, has later clearly said: "I told the Prime Minister that I have come here and given you the documents as you wanted to meet. I am leaving with your permission as I have to go to Digha where our administrative review is going on." Besides handing over the preliminary report on the damages caused by Cyclone Yaas in Bengal deducing the primary estimated damage to be Rs 20,000 crore, Banerjee also gave him two separate schemes for the state worth Rs 10,000 crore each for the development of Digha and the Sunderbans.

Banerjee left it on the Prime Minister's prerogative to sanction whatever he wants for Bengal in view of the aftermath of Yaas.

This was the first time when Modi and Mamata met face-to-face after the latter returned to power in the state with a landslide victory in the recently concluded Assembly polls. Modi reached Kalaikunda after taking a stock of the aftermath caused by the cyclone in Odisha. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari along with the Governor attended the Prime Minister's meeting at Kalaikunda airbase from where Modi left for Delhi.

In a sharp criticism to the Centre, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy stated: "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. All because people of Bengal humiliated the duo and chose Mamata Banerjee with an overwhelming mandate."

Jawhar Sircar, the former Culture Secretary of the Government of India, 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."

According to rules, the state government has to first relieve the Chief Secretary before he can be sent back to the Centre. Requesting the state government to immediately relieve the officer, Under Secretary to the Government of India Anshuman Mishra wrote in the letter that the state government received in the evening that "the appointment committee of the Cabinet has approved the placement of services of the 1987 batch IAS officer Alapan Bandyopadhyay with the government of India...". He has been directed to report at DoPT in North Block by 10 am on May 31.

No reaction has been received from the state government whether it would relieve the Chief Secretary, who was given an extension of three months just four days ago.