After Hakim's arrest, WB Chief Secy appoints himself as KMC Chairman; BJP cries foul

BJP IT-cell chief Amit Malviya on Monday hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for allowing the West Bengal Chief Secretary to appoint the Chairman post of Board of Secretaries in the Kolkata Municipal Cooperation (KMC) to himself. This development comes after the house arrest of TMC leader Firhad Hakim in the Narada Sting case. Hakim had previously held the position of the Chairman of the KMC Board of Administrators. 

In order, the West Bengal government has formed a Committee of Secretaries to supervise the works of the KMC on a regular basis and to monitor the pandemic in the city. Given the 'legal developments', West Bengal's Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay has taken over as the Chairman of the 'Board of Administrators, KMC'. 

"Kolkata municipal corporation needs continuous supervision from senior functionaries particularly during the extent of the pandemic. The functioning of the board of administrators in KMC has since been punctured by some legal juridical developments therefore the state government has decided to constitute a committee of secretaries to supervise the work of the KMC on a regular basis," read the order. 

"Bengal Chief Secretary has appointed himself as the Chairman of Board of Secretaries, which will now oversee Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Will this supersede Pishi’s Board of Administrators headed by Firhad Hakim?" questioned BJP leader Amit Malviya. 

4 TMC leaders under House Arrest

High-voltage drama was witnessed in West Bengal on May 17 after the CBI arrested 4 top leaders-- Firhad Hakim, Subrata Mukherjee, Madan Mitra and Sovan Chatterjee in the Narada sting probe. This was followed by a 6-hour long dharna by Mamata Banerjee and TMC workers who gheraoed the CBI office and resorted to stone-pelting to demand the release of its leaders.

After the courts granted the CBI one-day judicial custody, the investigative agency moved the Calcutta HC seeking a transfer of the case and levelling grave allegations against Mamata Banerjee. The CBI also accused her of attempting to threaten officers and create an atmosphere of mobocracy and fear to prevent the body from carrying out a free and fair investigation. 

Giving conflicting opinions on May 21, the division bench of the HC comprising Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Bindal ordered the house arrest of the 4 leaders. The case has been referred to a large bench and the matter will be taken up for further hearing on May 24.