Kolkata: The former Chief Secretary at the centre of the latest clash between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi replied to the Centre's notice accusing him of skipping the PM's meeting last week. Alapan Bandopadhyay has said in his response that he did not "abstain" from Modi's Cyclone Yaas meeting at Kalaikunda in Bengal and that he was there "till the Chief Minister was there".
He has said "as per the directive of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee", he left the PM's meeting on May 28 for a review of the damage caused by Yaas in Digha.
For allegedly missing Modi's meet along with Mamata Banerjee, Bandyopadhyay was transferred to the Centre and ordered to report to Delhi on his last day of service and serve three months of his extension there.
Present Chief Secretary HK Dwivedi also wrote to the Centre informing them of the role of Bandyopadhyay as the Chief Minister's Chief Advisor.
According to sources in the state Secretariat, Bandyopadhyay replied to the Centre stating that being the state's Chief Secretary, it was his duty to follow the Chief Minister's instructions, whom he was accompanying. He also mentioned in the letter that he went to meet the Prime Minister along with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as per her instruction and had also left the review meeting at Kalaikunda to proceed to Digha to attend another meeting followed by a field visit of Yaas-affected district at Digha in East Midnapore.
Dwivedi, however, in his letter, wrote in detail about the role and functions of Bandyopadhyay who has been appointed as the Chief Minister's Chief Advisor after retiring on May 31.
The Centre had issued a show-cause notice to Bandyopadhyay on May 31 — his date of retirement, for abstaining himself from the review meeting chaired by the Prime Minister stating that he had "acted in a manner tantamount to refusing to comply with lawful directives of the central government and is thus violative of section 51 (b) of the Disaster Management Act, 2005". He was directed to give a reply within three days.
The show-cause notice was issued despite the Chief Minister clearly stating in her letter to the Prime Minister on May 31 that she, along with Bandyopadhyay, had proceeded to attend the cyclone review meeting at Digha only after taking his permission. Banerjee had said in a Press conference at Nabanna that they have recalled Bandyopadhyay for the second time but did not reply to her letter urging the Centre to explain the reason behind recalling the former Chief Secretary on his last day of service.