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The stand-off between the Centre and West Bengal government over Alapan Bandopadhyay, the just-retired West Bengal Chief Secretary who has been issued a notice under the Disaster Management Act, has split the bureaucracy down the middle.
While a section argue that the Centre over-reached, other bureaucrats say that Bandopadhyay, by not being present to brief the Prime Minister at the cyclone review meeting on May 28, transgressed professional lines.
“He (Bandopadhyay) had to follow the rule of law, which is that it is his responsibility, and not the Chief Minister’s, to receive the PM and brief him,” said P K Basu, former Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Member, Central Administrative Tribunal. “That is the rule and also the custom. He did not have to ask the Chief Minister. Suppose if something went wrong during the visit, it is the Chief Secretary that would lose his job, not the CM.”
“The point is an IAS officer has no boss. His boss is the Constitution, the rule of law, and his conscience. Bandopadhyay failed in his duty. By not giving a presentation to PM, by insulting the PM, whereas Bengal could have got Rs 1000 crore from Centre, they maybe got Rs 500 crore. It is the loss of the people of Bengal.”
Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch IAS officer, retired on May 31 following which he was appointed Adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
“It is not just a matter of violation of protocol and etiquette but it is a violation of law,” said N K Aggarwal, who retired as Chairman of the Bihar Public Service Commission in 2006. “The President appoints the All India Service officers. The PM heading the Council of Ministers represents the authority of the President. Thereby, he is an authority higher than the CM or the Chief Secretary. By insulting the PM, the officer has slighted the President himself.”
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