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Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kalyan Banerjee wrote to Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla on Saturday, claiming that the summons issued to West Bengal's chief secretary and director-general of police over the attack on BJP chief JP Nadda's convoy were laced with a "political motive".
Banerjee, the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress in Lok Sabha, alleged that the Centre was resorting to coercive means to intimidate the state administration, and the top officials were summoned at the instance of the Union Home Minister.
"We want to inform you that law and order is within the domain of the state under 7th Schedule of the State list...In such a case, how can you summon both the officers for any sort of discussion?" Banerjee questioned.
"It appears that with a political motive and at the instance of your minister, who is a political person belonging to Bharatiya Janata Party, you have issued the said letter. You are trying to coerce the officers of West Bengal with political vindictiveness. It appears you are interfering with the federal structure," Banerjee added.
He also claimed that a person, who is a convict in a case and named in 59 other criminal cases, was part of Nadda’s convoy on December 10 and that "he made provocative gestures" to the TMC supporters gathered on the streets.
He said that in respect of law and order, the state government is accountable to the legislative Assembly "but not to you or to your home minister".
"Various laws have been tossed in the river by your action at the instance of Shri Amit Shah, BJP leader and Union Home Minister," Banerjee said, adding that indirect attempts were being made to impose a state of emergency in West Bengal.
The MHA had on Friday summoned Chief Secretary Alapan Bandopadhyay and DGP Virendra asking them to present themselves on December 14 to explain the law and order situation in the state, following Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar's report highlighting the attack on Nadda's convoy by alleged supporters of the ruling TMC in South 24 Parganas district on December 10.
The chief secretary wrote to the Union home secretary, saying that he has been directed to "dispense with the presence of the state officials" in the meeting convened on December 14.
