New Delhi (31.05.2021): As speculated the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee rewarded the outgoing Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay (IAS:1987:WB) with a plum post as Chief Adviser to CM for a period of three years w.e.f. 01.06.2021.

Mamata Banerjee made her intent clear early morning today when she wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaving no option before the Centre but to turn down its earlier concurrence on State Govt’s proposal extending Alapan’s term for three months before his scheduled date of retirement i.e. 31.05.2021.  

While requesting the PM to withdraw the Centre's order she asserted that the Mamta administration 'can't release and is not releasing its top bureaucrat Alapan Bandyopadhyay.

It may be underlined that the Centre had on 24 May approved Mamta Govt’s proposal for Alapan’s extension and just four days later (28 May) the Centre asked Alapan to report in Delhi by 31 May 2021. The Centre's decision to recall him came after West Bengal CM Mamta Banerjee and Chief Secretary of the state skipped the meeting called by PM Modi to review the aftermath of the Yaas cyclone.

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