No incident could illustrate Narendra Modi’s incompetent handling of the pandemic in a more exemplified manner than his action to recall the chief secretary of Bengal, Alapan Banerjee to central pool just within two days of giving him three months’ extension in service with the sole aim to accomplish the fight against the corona in Bengal. Besides carrying out his routine accountability, Alapan has been functioning as the nodal officer and coordinating the task to eradicate corona.

He was given extension at the request of Mamata Banerjee. Modi penalising him makes it explicit that he has no respect and concern for the people of Bengal. All the concerns he showed during the election campaigning were merely false pretensions. He treated the people of Bengal merely as voters, certainly not human beings.

It is shameful that he targeted Alapan merely for the reason that he was accompanying his administrative boss. It is beyond comprehension how Modi could penalize Alapan and also the innocent people of Bengal for the act of Mamata. If he really had the guts he should have taken Mamata head on. He resorted to this action even after aware of the fact that it would jeopardise the fight against corona. His action simply underlines that for him Bengalis deserve this treatment as they did not vote for him. It also makes it explicit that Modi does not respect for the sensibilities of the Bengali sub nationality.

Modi’s action also underlines that he may be anything but he is certainly not a leader. A leader must not resort to this nature of revenge action. Modi’s self-inflated ego has more value than the fight against corona. Else there was no rational of resorting to this type of crude and inhuman action to shift the officer spearheading the fight.

Modi’s every action has got a certain design. It is his psychological complex that conjures him to resort to all kind of personified actions. Rahul was right in saying;” Change your style of functioning, Mr Prime Minister. Lakhs of people have died because of your deeds. More people will be killed.”

After visiting cyclone-affected Odisha and Bengal on Friday Modi was to interact with Mamata and Navin Patnaik. He interacted with Patnaik. In Odisha he did not invite the opposition leaders. But he preferred to discuss the Bengal scene with BJP leaders, the governor, and central ministers. This obviously implied that he does not recognize Mamata as an independent entity and authority. He does not recognise her as the chief minister of Bengal.

Mamata was to meet him at Kalaikund. Later talking to newsmen she clarified; “I and Alapan Bandyopadhyay waited for Modi for 10-15 minutes at Kalaikunda. When we tried to meet him, we were told by the SPG to wait for an hour. Later on we heard, they were going to the conference room. We went there. We stood at some distance from him and explained the situation. They showed some empty chairs later. Why didn’t they release footage of us standing in front of the Prime minister? The PMO is feeding fake news to the media”.

She handed over a report prepared by the state government on the damage caused by the cyclone Yaas to Modi and left Digha after taking his permission. She did not attend the review meeting attended by others. According to the bureaucratic protocol a chief secretary is answerable to the chief minister and none else. Undeniably her decision to skip the meet has led to a political storm and Alapan finds himself caught in it as he is the soft target.

The allegation of Mamata that Modi humiliated and insulted is absolutely correct. It is not that Modi is not aware of the protocol. But he preferred to violet. Obviously the question arises why? An insight into the incidents makes it clear that Modi finds it tough to digest his defeat and is resorting to one after another revenge action. He is having sadistic pleasure in insulting Mamata.

On Saturday Mamata tried to argue; “We got a landslide victory and that is your only worry. You want to bulldoze the federal structure. There are two sets of law for Bengal and the other states… Why are you behaving like this? You can’t digest the defeat. Every time you are going for confrontation…in my state whenever you come you create confusion and confrontation”.

Nevertheless Mamata appealed to Modi to withdraw the order attaching state chief secretary. She said; “For the sake of Bengal, I am ready to touch the feet of the Prime Minister, if that makes him happy. But this is political vendetta. Don’t defame me, don’t humiliate me. The “unconstitutional and illegal step” had shocked her and the IAS lobby.” But it does not appear that Modi would rescind his order.

Interestingly, the former Gujarat Congress chief, Bharat Solanki took a jibe at him; “It is good to know that PMO has invited leader of the Opposition in Bengal as well to the meeting convened to discuss Yaas cyclone aftermath! I am surprised he forgot to invite the Opposition leader of Gujarat during his recent visit of Tauktae cyclone affected areas”.

Under the provisions of governance Modi or his government cannot issue a unilateral order on an IAS officer who is not under its control, but under another government within the federation. Will Modi reply why is out to humiliate Alapan? This is not a posting order because it does not mention to which post the CS of this state has been posted.

Jawahar Sarkar a retired IAS officer rightly pointed out that it is humiliating that a senior Union secretary-ranking officer is told to report to a central ministry, much like sub-inspectors of police are ordered. He also mentioned that the central government cannot force IAS or IPS officers to join a central posting in Delhi against his will, without either his written ‘option’ or his cadre-controlling authority, the state government, giving him prior clearance to ‘opt’ for the Centre.

The Centre has to inform the state government of its intention to take deputationists from the state and officers have to give their 'options', which then has to be cleared by the state. Sarkar also pointed out; “Incidentally, the national record for not permitting state IAS and IPS officers to go on central postings is held by none other than Narendra Modi as CM”. He points out; “The gross injustice of heckling an officer of this rank by summoning him to Delhi on that very day hits even those who are ardent fans of strong administration.”

There is no denying the fact that the order is politically vindictive. It also highlights not only the petty-mindedness of Modi but his style of constantly attacking his political adversaries. This underlines his arrogance and disrespect for the democracy and its functioning. This development also unravels the fact that India is having autocratic rule, where the rights of the people, to get basic health care is being denied. Existence of autocratic rule also gets manifested in BJP leaders shouting in chorus to blame Mamata for showing disrespect to Modi. They cannot dare to question Modi for violating the democratic norms.

Many legal luminaries and former bureaucrats have started raising the question why Modi is out to destroy the federal character of the country? Why BJP leaders and the governor were called to the review meeting when it was meant to be between the PM and the CM? Mamata nonetheless quipped; “It is, ironical that Narendra Modi, who as the chief minister from 2001 to 2014 was the greatest votary of the autonomy of states in a federal set-up, now has taken upon himself the task of destroying India’s federal structure with the intolerance of an Aurangzeb.”

Mamata Banerjee was right when she said that Modi’s action undermines federalism and she is being prevented from governing Bengal even after her party won a thumping majority at the assembly elections. (IPA Service)