News Analysis India

Tag: West Bengal Chief Secretary

  • West Bengal bypolls: ECI to hold meeting with West Bengal Chief Secretary today

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: The Election Commission of India (ECI) will hold a meeting with West Bengal Chief Secretary on Wednesday via video conferencing.

    The discussion will be on conducting by-polls that is pending for seven seats in Bengal, informed the officials to ANI today.

    The seven vacant constituency seats are Jangipur and Samserganj in Murshidabad district, Gosaba in South 24 Parganas district, Kharagpur in South Medinipur district, Nadia district’s Shantipur, Cooch Behar’s Dinhata and Bhowanipore.

    On July 15, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) had urged the Election Commission to conduct by-elections to fill seven casual vacancies in the State Legislative Assembly of West Bengal.

    A TMC delegation had met with the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra in the national capital and handed over a letter on this matter. The delegation included Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Saugata Roy, Derek O’Brien, Kalyan Banerjee, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.

    “We have appealed that all by-polls are held within six months. They listened to us and we hope that our discussions are successful,” TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay had told reporters.

    Notably, the general elections to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal, 2021 were held in eight phases between March 27, 2021 to April 29, 2021 and concluded on May 2, 2021 with the announcement of results.

    Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress won 213 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The Bharatiya Janata Party garnered 77 seats in the 294-seat state assembly. 

  • Sheer misuse of power by Centre, say former civil servants on Bengal chief secretary transfer

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: Former bureaucrats on Monday criticised the Centre’s attempt to recall West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay. They described it as “sheer misuse of power” and “humiliating”.

    Former chief secretary of Maharashtra DM Sukhtankar said that in the present circumstances, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government is wrong on their part to call back chief secretary of West Bengal to whom they had only given three months extension.

    “PM Narendra Modi only gave extension to chief secretary of West Bengal so it is also not legally right for them to call back. If the person is working any places so it is his duty and responsibility to work their only first. Morally also, this is not the right for centre to do such things,” Sukhtankar said.

    Former IAS officer Jawahar Sircar called it a “misuse of power”.

    “There is another order dates 24th May for Covid management and his extension. Without superseding that order by asking him to come to Delhi is only humiliation,” he said. “His extension was meant for Covid control in Kolkata. His extension was not meant to be waiting in New Delhi,” he said.

    Former Maharashtra police commissioner Julio Riberio said, “I think it’s dangerous for the officers of all-India service to work in Opposition-led States.”

  • Centre asks Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay to report to Delhi

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay, who accompanied Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Kalaikunda Air Base where she met Prime Minister Narendra Modi but skipped the review meeting to assess the aftermath of Yaas, has been directed to report Delhi on Monday.

    The Centre asked Bandyopadhyay to report to the Personnel and Training department.

    Bandyopa, dhyay, who is now second-in-command in the Bengal government, was granted an extension for a period of three months. He, a 1987 batch IAS officer, of Bengal cadre, was due to retire on May 31.

    It was West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee who had written to the Centre on May 12 urging to grant Banerjee an extension considering his experience of handling the Covid-19 pandemic.

    “The Centre’s decision is completely politically motivated. The BJP-led central government is playing a dirty game after the saffron camp’s narrative to divide people of Bengal on the line of religion was rejected,” said Kunal Ghosh, a spokesperson of the TMC.

  • Alapan Bandyopadhyay gets extension as West Bengal Chief Secretary

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was granted an extension for a period of three months, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday.

    Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12, urging him to grant Bandyopadhyay an extension for at least six months in view of his experience of handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “Our chief secretary has got an extension for three months. We are happy because he has got the experience of working during last year’s Amphan as well as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” the chief minister said.

    Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer, was to superannuate at the end of this month.

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