Unite against Centre's misrule: Mamata's call to CMs, Oppn leaders & bureaucrats

Kolkata: Hours after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote to the Prime Minister expressing the state government's decision not to release Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay considering his assignments related to Covid management and relief work post 'very severe cyclone' Yaas, upping her ante against the Centre stating that it is "behaving like Adolf Hitler and Stalin", the Chief Minister gave a call to all Opposition Chief Ministers, senior political leaders and bureaucrats to unite and raise their voice against the "autocratic" rule of the Modi-government.

Banerjee slammed the Centre in connection with its "vendetta politics" over the extension of Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay who has been recalled to Delhi on the date of his retirement and following a row over the Chief Minister's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Kalaikunda regarding assessment of damage due to cyclone Yaas in

the state.

She also criticised the Union Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad for his statement that Bandyopadhyay had "walked out" from the meeting. "The Law minister "is out of law". We must keep in mind that political persons usually walkout following differences in opinion. But bureaucrats never walk out," Banerjee said, stating that the incident like recalling the Chief Secretary never took place in the country's history of the past 74 years since Independence.

The 1987 batch officer, Bandyopadhyay, had taken over the charge as the state's Chief Secretary on September 30, 2020. He had functioned as the District Magistrate of Howrah and North 24-Parganas and was also the Commissioner of Kolkata Municipal Corporation. He was the state Home Secretary before taking up the charge as the state's Chief Secretary. He also played a crucial role as the state Transport secretary and when posted in the MSME department as well. He also served as the CEO of KMDA and secretary of the Industry department.

Bandyopadhyay stood second from Narendrapur Ramakrishna Mission in Madhyamik and a former student of Presidency College. He stood first class first in Political Science in MA from Calcutta University and had joined as a reporter of a Bengali daily in the 1980s and penned several books including Prasanga Gorkhaland and Amlar Mon.

Banerjee criticised the Centre for treating bureaucrats as "bonded labourers" without giving their due respect. "But it cannot go on and it will come to an end soon. If a bureaucrat is insulted after he has dedicated his life to his work, what message is the government and PM sending out? There are many Bengali cadre officers at the Centre. Can I recall them without consultation, Mr Prime Minister? Mr Busy Prime Minister? Mr Mann-ki-baat Prime Minister?" Banerjee said adding that they cannot scare us in this way. The reason behind Bengal always moving ahead keeping its head held high, she said quoting Rabindranath Tagore.

"Modi government failed to combat Covid, agriculture movement and economic crisis. When they have totally failed, they are now imposing martial law. They are behaving like autocrats. Worse Hitler and Stalin," she said, adding that the bureaucrats are suffering from insecurity after the incident, but it will not leave any adverse affect on Bengal.