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'He has responsibility here': Bengal CM Mamata on chief secretary
The West Bengal government has refused to relieve chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay, who was scheduled to report to duty in New Delhi on Monday, as directed by the Centre last Friday.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday that chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay "has a responsibility here" as she chaired a review meeting over Cyclone Yaas, which hit Bengal last week, as well as the Covid-19 situation in the state.
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"I've visited Cyclone Yaas-affected Digha, chief secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay has a responsibility here. Fishermen's compensation needs to be thought of," Banerjee was quoted as saying during the review meeting by news agency ANI. "Poor people should remember I'm there for you all. Don't participate in the provocation. We didn't get any relief package nor we asked for it," she further said.
The extension of the chief secretary, the chief minister said, "is not in my hands," adding that she would reply on the matter "when the time comes."
On the Covid-19 situation, Banerjee said, "The daily number of cases have gone down to 11,000, while the daily positivity rate has decreased to 18-19%. The death rate is 0.56%, which is lesser than during the first wave, and discharge rate stands at 91%."
Bandopadhyay, who was due to retire on Monday, has been at the centre of a major faceoff between the central government and the West Bengal government. Last Friday, the Centre directed the top bureaucrat to report for duty in New Delhi on May 31, just hours after the chief minister "skipped" a review meeting convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the cyclone during his visit to West Bengal.
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Earlier on Monday, Banerjee wrote to PM Modi, refusing to relieve Bandopadhyay "at this critical hour", also pointing out that he has been given an extension of three months to help manage the cyclone and Covid-19 situation in the eastern state. In her letter, the chief minister also described the Centre's decision as "unprecedented" and "unilateral".
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The episode marks yet another confrontation between the two sides after the arrests of four accused on May 17 in connection with the Narada sting operation case. Of the four, three are from Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC), while one is a former TMC leader. Two of the accused hold ministerial positions in the West Bengal government. All four were granted interim bail by the Calcutta high court on May 28.
