Centre recalls West Bengal chief secretary after Mamata Banerjee skips meeting with Modi

The Centre on Friday night issued an order asking West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay to report for duty in New Delhi, PTI reported.

Bandyopadhyay, a 1987-batch Indian Admnistrative Service officer of West Bengal cadre, was scheduled to retire on May 31. However, he was given a three-month extension just four days ago after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sought her services due to his experience in handling the coronavirus pandemic.

On Friday, Bandyopadhyay was asked to report to the Department of Personnel and Training in Delhi on May 31.

The development came hours after Banerjee skipped a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to assess the damages caused by Cyclone Yaas. The chief minister held a 15-minute-long meeting at Kalaikunda Air Base in the state’s West Midnapore district.

In a tweet, Banerjee said that she apprised the prime minister of the situation in the state “The disaster report has been handed over for his perusal,” Banerjee tweeted. “I have proceeded now to review the relief and restoration work at Digha.”

Later on Friday, she said that she took the prime minister’s permission to leave for a meeting in Digha. “PM had called meeting,” she said, ANI reported. “We didn’t know I had [a] meeting in Digha. I went to Kalaikunda and gave…

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