Former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay on Thursday replied to the Centre’s show-cause notice served to him under the Disaster Management Act, to explain his alleged absence from the Cyclone Yaas review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 May. The newly appointed Chief Secretary of the state, Harikrishna Dwivedi, has also sent a letter to the Centre.
According to sources, Alapan Bandyopadhyay wrote in the letter that he had gone to the Prime Minister’s meeting on the instructions of the Chief Minister. He came out of the meeting on the instructions of the Chief Minister. As the Chief Secretary, it is his duty to follow the instructions of the Chief Minister, he said. In his reply, Bandyopadhyay also reportedly said that he had not violated any IAS protocol as he left the meeting after taking permission from the Prime Minister for the same.
Bandyopadhyay, in his reply, reportedly said that he did not “abstain” from PM Modi’s Cyclone Yaas meeting and that he was there “till the Chief Minister was there”. He informed that as per the directive of Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he left the meeting for a review of cyclone-ravaged Digha, according to a PTI report. Now that Alapan Bandyopadhyay has replied, it remains to be seen whether the Centre is satisfied with the response or not.
The Union Home Ministry had on Monday (31 May) served a show-cause notice to Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment up to two years, amid a tug-of-war between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government over him. He was instructed to respond to the letter within three days, i.e. Thursday. Alapan replied on Thursday evening.
According to sources, Harikrishna Dwivedi said in a letter to the Centre that Alapan Bandyopadhyay is playing the role of Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the moment.
For allegedly missing PM Modi’s meet along with Mamata Banerjee last Friday, Bandyopadhyay was transferred to the Centre just a day before his retirement. Mamata Banerjee refused to release him and Bandyopadhyay chose to retire instead of reporting to Delhi, after which he was appointed Chief Adviser to the Chief Minister.