Centre’s notice to Alapan Bandopadhyay for “skipping” PM’s meeting

Alapan Bandopadhyay, who retired as West Bengal chief secretary on Monday, has been served a notice by the Central government for skipping a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. Bandopadhyay has become the centre of controversy for a row between Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on attending a review meeting on the impact of Cyclone Yaas in some of the state’s districts.

Bandyopadhyay has been appointed chief adviser to the Bengal CM for three years from today. He chose to retire as CS and did not accept the extension of services by three months offered to him by the Bengal government with clearance from the Centre. While the Centre had “recalled” the officer and asked him to report to Delhi on May 31, the last day of service, Mamata Banerjee did not release him from the Bengal government. She wrote to PM Modi, explaining that she was not releasing the officer.

However, a show-cause notice was sent on Monday evening asking Bandopadhyay to explain his absence from PM Modi’s meeting on Cyclone Yaas on Friday in Bengal’s Kalaikunda. The Centre has served the notice under the Disaster Management Act and asked him to respond within three days.

Mamata Banerjee along with Alapan Bandopadhyay on Friday discussed some matters on Cyclone Yaas, handed over a report to PM Modi and requested him to allow them to leave for Digha where a meeting was scheduled and a visit was also pending. One of her reasons for doing so was the presence of her former aide-turned-BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari at the meeting. Adhikari was present at the meeting as Leader of Opposition. However, Banerjee has pointed out that Leaders of Opposition are not present in meetings between the PM and CM, and that is what has happened in other similar meetings. She has said several times at press meets that she had left only with the Prime Minister’s permission.

The Centre later accused her of making PM Modi wait. A few hours later, a letter was sent asking Bandopadhyay to report to DoPT North Block, on Monday. Now, the Centre’s show cause notice does not mention about asking him to report and about his not being present in Delhi at the said time. Instead, it asks him to explain why he wasn’t present at PM Modi’s meeting. Banerjee has hit out at the Centre, calling it “vendetta”, and asked the Centre to not target IAS and IPS officers.