Kolkata: In a late evening development Sunday, West Bengal Raj Bhavan is reported to have asked the state Secretariat to replace Governor CV Ananda Bose’s current Principal Secretary Nandini Chakraborty with immediate effect.
The development happens a day after BJP’s state President Sukanta Majumdar called on the Governor to apprise him of the existing situation in the state.
The reported request from the Governor House assumes special significance after Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari’s repeated allegations that Chakraborty had been acting as “an implant” of the state government and “misleading” the Governor.
Sunil Kumar Gupta, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of West Bengal cadre, was the Principal Secretary to former Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. After Dhankhar became the Vice President, Gupta too went on a central deputation and was appointed as his Secretary by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
Thereafter Chakroborty, a 1994-batch IAS officer of West Bengal cadre, was appointed as Principal Secretary to the Governor during the term of the interim Governor, La Ganesan. After Ananda Bose took charge during the closing quarters of 2022, she continued in his post.
She was seen taking a leading role in the “hate khori” (beginning of learning) of Ananda Bose in Bengali language at the Governor House lawn January 26 this year on the twin occasion of Republic Day and Saraswati Puja (worship of the Hindu goddess of learning), where Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was the chief guest,
Since then, the state BJP leadership especially Adhikari had been critical of the Governor.
–IANS