'Has this ever happened since Independence?' TMC on Centre's Bengal Chief Secretary move

KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress said on Friday that the Centre's decision to seek the services of West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was because the people of the state gave an overwhelming mandate to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Trinamool Congress MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy described it as "forced central deputation" of the chief secretary.

"Has this ever happened since Independence? Forced central deputation of a Chief Secretary of a state? How much lower will Modi-Shah's BJP stoop," Roy said.

"All because people of Bengal humiliated the duo and chose Mamata Banerjee with an overwhelming mandate," he added.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the decision was taken to derail the good work done by Bandyopadhyay, "a true soldier of Mamata Banerjee".

"The BJP is yet to accept their loss in the assembly elections and that is why they are doing such petty politics. This is nothing but vindictive politics of the BJP," he told PTI.

"At a time when Bengal is facing the COVID pandemic and the devastations caused by cyclone Yaas, the central government is trying to make the people of the state suffer. They are acting like an enemy to the people of Bengal," Ghosh said.

BJP's state general secretary Sayantan Basu told PTI that it was an administrative decision by the Centre.

"It is an administrative issue involving two governments and the state BJP has nothing to comment on it," he said.

The Centre sought services of Bandyopadhyay and asked the state government to relieve the officer immediately with a direction to him to report in Delhi on Monday.

Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, was earlier due to retire on May 31 after completion of 60 years of age.

However, he was granted a three-month extension after the chief minister wrote to the Centre.

In a communiqu to the state government, the Personnel Ministry said the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the placement of the services of Bandyopadhyay with Government of India as per provisions of Rule 6 (1) of the Indian Administrative Service (cadre) Rules, 1954, with immediate effect.

Bandyopadhyay took over as the chief secretary of West Bengal after Rajiva Sinha retired in September last year.