Just after the BJP led Central government initiated major penalty proceedings against former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleged that the move was an outcome of the BJP’s inability to accept its defeat in the Assembly election.
“The BJP was resorting to dirty politics as they are unable to accept defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.”, senior MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Sougata Roy told reporters during a press conference.
Trinamool leaders Saugat Roy and Rajya Sabha Trinomul MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy held a press conference at Trinomul Bhaban on Tuesday over the Centre’s letter to Alapan. “The state government will decide whether an IAS officer will meet the prime minister or welcome him,” they said in a letter to the Center. Even if the Center wants or summons an IAS officer to do so, his permission has to be sought from the state government. This is the federal rule. But the center did not follow that rule. The talk that the Prime Minister will go to meet was not a direct assumption of the Center. So no rules or protocols have been broken in this case. “
Trinamool alleges that the efficient administrator of the state is being harassed on the instructions of the Prime Minister. On Monday, the central staff under the Prime Minister sent a letter on behalf of the ministry informing them of the disciplinary action against the officer. Moreover, Modi is also the chairman of the Central Disaster Management Authority. Referring to Prime Minister’s meeting at Kalaikunda following Yaas, Sukhendu said that there was no violation of protocol as the Centre only assumed that Bandyopadhay would meet him, although there was no definite instruction in this regard.
Former Chief Secretary of the state Alapan Banerjee has been charged by the Department of Personnel and Training under the Union Home Ministry. The Department of Personnel and Training has sent an order dated 17th to the former Chief Secretary.
A letter from the staff and training department to Alapana Banerjee came to light on Monday. Where it is written, the kind of behavior that Alapana Banerjee has done in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is tantamount to breach of discipline. That is why an investigation has been ordered against him.
Another part of that letter was revealed on Tuesday wherein it is stated that the Department of Personnel and Training has already framed charges against the officer. They have also received evidence for this, the letter said. On the day of the incident, the testimony of those who were controlling the take-off and landing on the Kalaikunda Airport was taken, as was the testimony of the Under-Secretary officers, who had been in charge of exchanging letters from the Center to the former Chief Secretary since the incident.
Although he was working as the top bureaucrat of the state at that time, the Center did not take permission from the state in this case. The Center argued that the Prime Minister was the chairperson of the public interest meeting. According to the All India Service Rules, the Chief Secretary of the state should have attended the meeting.