Alapan Row: Abhishek Banerjee suggests Disaster act on all WB polls parties, including TMC

A day after former West Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay was showcaused under the Disaster Management Act, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has hit back at the Centre. Mamata Banerjee's nephew & TMC MP demanded action against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Election Commission (ECI) for violating COVID-19 norms amid the pandemic.

TMC MP reportedly said that if Alapan Banerjee is booked under the Disaster Management Act, why not PM Modi, Amit Shah and the Election commission? They should also be booked under the same act for holding rallies and violating COVID norms during the eight-phase elections in Bengal. He said action should be taken against all the political parties including TMC.

"The disaster Management Act should be enforced by the officials in charge of elections. It should be enforced against the Home Minister and the Prime Minister (for campaigning during a pandemic). It should also be applied against all political parties including us", said TMC MP.

He also blamed BJP and ECI for the spread of COVID and the second wave in the country. On Wednesday, Abhishek Banerjee visited Patharpratima in order to assess the condition after devastation due to cyclone Yaas.

Showcause notice to Alapan Bandyopadhyay

On Tuesday, the Union Home Ministry has served a show-cause notice to Alapan Bandyopadhyay under a stringent provision of the Disaster Management Act that entails imprisonment up to two years, amid a tug-of-war between the Centre and the Mamata Banerjee government over the former chief secretary of Bengal. The officer has been asked to reply within three days to the notice.

Disaster Management Act

The Disaster Management Act was passed by the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha in the year 2005 and extends to the whole of India. This Act provides effective management of disasters and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto. The main objective of this act is to provide the people who are affected by disasters, their life back and helping them.

Alapan Bandyopadhyay Controversy

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday announced that Bandyopadhyay had 'retired' as the state's Chief Secretary. However, Banerjee reappointed him as her advisor for three years, in order to counter the Centre's move. Before her decision, Banerjee had also penned a letter to PM Modi asserting that the state government will not release him. She further urged PM Modi to withdraw the order by terming it as 'unconstitutional'. Additionally, she also remarked that the Centre took the decision without seeking permission from the state administration. 

The political drama surrounding Bandyopadhyay kicked off when the Personnel Ministry had on May 28 sought his services and asked the state government to relieve the officer immediately. Bandyopadhyay, who was scheduled to retire on Monday after completion of 60 years of age, was recently given a three-month extension, but then he and CM Mamata did not attend the PM's Cyclone review meeting in Kolkata, making the Prime Minister wait for 30 minutes, following which they reached to hand the PM a report and a demand for Rs 20,000 crore, and left.

(Image Credits: ANI/PTI)