The attack on BJP president J P Nadda’s convoy became a fresh bone of contention between the Centre and the West Bengal government as the State’s Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay wrote to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla urging him to “dispense with” the presence of State government officials at the scheduled meeting with him indicating they would not attend it.
The meeting was scheduled to be held on December 14 in Delhi. The development comes after the Union Home Ministry asked the state’s Chief Secretary and Director General of Police Virendra to come to Delhi to explain the law and order situation in the state.
The Union Home Home Ministry’s decision came following West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s report to the Ministry over the attack on BJP President J P Nadda’s convoy at Diamond Harbor on Thursday.
“While further reports are being obtained and complied, in the circumstances, I am directed to request you to kindly dispense with the presence of the state officials in the meeting, considering that the State Government is already addressing this issue with utmost seriousness,” stated Bandyopadhyay.
The Chief Secretary wrote that “ elaborate arrangements” for security coverage of “certain Z category protectees” was made by the state government during their visit to the state on Thursday. He also stated that apart from providing a bulletproof vehicle and a pilot to Nadda in addition to the escort comprising of vehicles by state, CRPF personnel, and PSOs (CRPF) there was heavy police deployment by the State Government.
“The DIG (Police) of the range was stationed in the area to personally supervise the police arrangements while 4 Additional Sps, 8 Deputy Sps, 14 Inspectors, 70 Sis/ASIs, 40 RAF personnel, 259 constables and 350 members of auxiliary forces were deployed on the route and at the venue at Diamond Harbor,” stated Bandyopadhyay.
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He also stated that despite the security arrangements made by the state administration and the “Central protectees” own Central protection arrangements, the tagging of many vehicles with the convoy made the “situation unwisely” as typically the security authorities were to handle “ a protectee convoy of a few vehicles only.”
Earlier in the day, TMC MP Kalyan Bandopadyay alleged that the Centre had no legal authority to summon the Chief Secretary and DGP over law and order in Bengal as it was a state subject.
“The Centre’s move to seeks a report from the State Government is unconstitutional. The Union Home Ministry’s decision to summon the Chief Secretary and DGP is totally unacceptable,” he said.
Earlier West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the authenticity of the incident of attack on Nadda alleging that perhaps it was perhaps staged. She further alleged that BJP workers were attacking each other at armed rallies in a bid to malign the TMC Government.