Bengal: West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday that her government “cannot release, and is not releasing, its Chief Secretary AlapanBandopadhyay at this critical hour”, pointing out that the top bureaucrat, who was due to retire today, has been given a three-month extension to help manage the cyclone and Covid situation in the state. Staging a battle against the Union government over a bureaucrat is not new for the CM, and also not without a reason, says Trinamool leaders.

In 2019 February, Banerjee organised a sit-in demonstration after CBI officers went to Kolkata police commissioner Rajeev Kumar’s residence to interrogate him in Saradha chit fund case. Banerjee backed Kumar to the hilt and even reinstated him after she swept the recently concluded assembly polls in Bengal.

During her 10 years as the CM, she had often refused to send IAS or IPS officers on deputation, citing a shortage of civil servants in her state. On one occasion, Banerjee even furnished data to show several posts for civil servants lying vacant and wanted the Centre not to call bureaucrats for central postings. But the two incidents—over Rajeev Kumar and AlapanBandopadhyay—underline Banerjee’s staunch support for key bureaucrats (both are considered professionally very close to the CM) as well as trying to assert her authority on all matters related to Bengal.

Saugata Ray, former UPA minister and Trinamool MP, said, “The CM must have control over the administration. Otherwise, how would she run the government? Her decision to defy the Centre’s directive in the case of Alapan shows that she wants to run the state with political as well as administrative authority.”Trinamool Congress leaders maintain that Mamata wants to turn this into an issue of federalism and an avenue of attack against PM Modi. “Rajeev Kumar and AlapanBandopadhyay’s cases are completely different. Rajeev was facing charges. But Banerjee stood for both of them. This is her way to assert her position,” said a leader.