New Delhi: ‘Fear quotient’ is threatening the rule of law in West Bengal, says Guv Jagdeep Dhankhar on the Chief Secretary row and maintained the state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had decided to boycott PM’s meeting the previous night itself.
He flayed the conduct of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and former Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay for their conduct at Prime Minitser’s review meeting on Cylcone Yaas and urged the media to “introspectively check” how fear quotient works in the state.
“Constrained by false narrative to put record straight: On May 27 at 2316 hrs CM @MamataOfficial messaged “may i talk? urgent”. Thereafter on phone indicated boycott by her and officials of PM Review Meet #CycloneYaas if LOP Suvendu Adhikari attends it. Ego prevailed over Public service,” Dhankhar tweeted.
“All constitutional principles were torn asunder by CM @MamataOfficial and functionaries of IAS association at PM Review Meet #CycloneYaas. Democracy imperilled by such unconstitutional stance. Time #Media to introspectively check fear quotient in WB that threatens rule of law,” he wrote in a series of tweets.
He also wrote, “With unparalleled trampling of constitutional values and affront to the office of PM, May 28 will go down as ‘a dark day’ in India’s long-standing ethos of cooperative federalism. At PM Review Meet #CycloneYaas democracy was shredded”.
The tweets from the Governor came amid reports that the centre may initiate disciplinary action against the former Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who has ‘retired’ and has been given a political assignment as Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister.
Ms Banerjee also appointed H K Dwivedi as the new Chief Secretary. BJP chief J P Nadda on Friday said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee skipping the meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “murder of constitutional ethos”.
The centre now wants to act tough and send a strong signal to the IAS and IPS community.
The West Bengal civil and police officials have always been amid controversies.
A day after swearing-in for the third time as the chief minister of West Bengal last month, Mamata Banerjee quickly made a reshuffle amongst IAS and IPS officers.
In December 2020, the West Bengal government remained ‘defiant’ and decided not to send the state’s chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay and police chief to New Delhi in compliance with Union Home Ministry’s summons in the wake of a mob attack on BJP chief J P Nadda’s convoy.
In 2016, in a surprise move, former Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar was made the new Principal Secretary in the state Information Technology Department by the Mamata regime. This post is normally the preserve of IAS cadre officers.
And not to forget, in 2019, the Chief Minister had staged a dharna extending moral support to Rajeev Kumar vis-a-vis Saradha chit fund scam probe by the CBI.
