Bengal bureaucrats skip PM Modi’s meeting amid friction over new IAS cadre rules

After the West Bengal bureaucrats skipped Modi’s meeting with their counterparts from across the country, Saugata Roy, an MP of the ruling Trinamool Congress, termed as “totally unfair” the meeting, where Niti Aayog’s ‘aspirational districts programme’ was discussed.

“The meeting called without the chief minister and the chief secretary is totally unfair. If the central project had to be implemented, they could have told the chief minister of the state. Or they could have told the chief secretary. They would have called a meeting and decided on the matter. Ignoring everyone, why did the prime minister suddenly go to celebrate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav like this? I do not support such an incident in any way. If the district magistrates were absent, I think that was a correct decision,” Roy said.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP blamed the Trinamool Congress government for the district magistrates’ absence from the meeting. “Unfortunately, DMs of West Bengal were missing, as instructed by their political bosses. Such an instance of non-cooperation is a disgrace in the arena of cooperative federalism and might act as a major impediment to the development of West Bengal,” he said.

And the state Congress president said the Centre wanted to keep all the powers in its hands at any cost. “Attempts are being made to break the federal structure of the country. In the future, the only slogan here will be ‘one nation, one administration’. This is what the central government wants,” said Adhir Chowdhury.

The proposed amendments to the Indian Administrative Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, which seek to change the central deputation rules of IAS and IPS officers from states, have West Bengal and the Centre at loggerheads, with chief minister Banerjee requesting Modi on Tuesday to withdraw the proposal which she said was against the spirit of cooperative federalism.