On a day when Bengal recorded a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus cases with 54 people testing positive, the Mamata Banerjee government locked horns with the Centre. Banerjee-led Bengal administration got upset with Centre’s move of sending two inter-ministerial teams to inspect various aspects of the state’s battle against the virus, including the measures of the health administration and the implementation of the lockdown.
While chief secretary Rajiva Sinha said that the state would not allow the central team to move freely until their intention became clear to the state administration, chief minister Mamata Banerjee shot a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that Centre’s ‘unilateral decision’ was ‘undesirable’, alleging ‘breach of established protocol’. In her letter, Banerjee stated that Bengal enforced lockdown even before the Centre had announced it.
I urge both Honb’le Prime Minister @NarendraModi Ji & Home Minister @AmitShah Ji to share the criterion used for this. Until then I am afraid, we would not be able to move ahead on this as without valid reasons this might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism. (2/2)
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) April 20, 2020
“I would like to bring to your kind notice that today the Union Home Minister spoke to me over the telephone at about 1 pm regarding the visit of the inter-ministerial central teams to my state. Unfortunately, the teams had already landed in Kolkata airport by AI special cargo flight 1701 at 10.10 am, i.e. much before our telephonic conversation. The order dated April 19, 2020, from the home ministry addressed to the chief secretary also reached just 30 minutes before the teams arrived. While I appreciate the pro-activeness shown by the central government in sending their teams to West Bengal, the same was done without prior intimation and hence is a breach of established protocol,” Banerjee wrote in her letter.
She alleged that while as per the home ministry’s order the state government was supposed to provide the logistical arrangements, the central teams kept the state in the dark and approached central forces such as the Border Security Force (BSF) and Seema Suraksha Bal and had started making their movements without consulting the state.
“As an established procedure, it is expected that the central team should have first taken a briefing from the state government officials prior to going for the field visits,” the letter read.
Banerjee alleged that the order from the home ministry mentioned “number of violations of lockdown measures” and said that “these observations are devoid of any facts and do not lend any credibility to the claim.”
According to her, “selection of districts (for the central team’s visit) and observations made unilaterally are nothing but a figment of imagination and unfortunate.”
The chief minister reminded the prime minister that West Bengal had “pro-actively announced the lockdown before it was announced by the central government”, and that the state extended the lockdown up to April 30 even before the Centre announced an extension of the lockdown on April 14.
“I am sure you will kindly agree that such unilateral action on the part of the central government is not desirable at all,” she wrote in her letter.
Banerjee also took to social media and posted on Twitter, “We welcome all constructive support & suggestions, especially from the Central Govt in negating the #Covid19 crisis. However, the basis on which Centre is proposing to deploy IMCTs in select districts across India including few in WB under Disaster Mgmt Act 2005 is unclear. I urge both Honb’le Prime Minister @NarendraModi Ji & Home Minister @AmitShah Ji to share the criterion used for this. Until then I am afraid, we would not be able to move ahead on this as without valid reasons this might not be consistent with the spirit of federalism.”
Incidentally, the Centre had earlier written twice to the state, alleging a lax implementation of the lockdown, a charge that was echoed by senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders in the state as also by the Bengal governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
The chief secretary, however, said on Monday, “We are going for a strict lockdown in containment areas of Kolkata and Howrah.”
At some places in Kolkata and Howrah, the administration has deployed combat forces to ensure the lockdown is enforced strictly.
Two inter-ministerial teams, one led by Apurva Chanda, additional secretary, department of defence and the other led by Vineet Joshi, additional secretary, ministry of human resource development, reached the state on Monday. They are to inquire about 7 of the state’s 23 districts. One team is to visit the districts in north Bengal and the other in south Bengal.
