Ex-bureaucrats, economists, journalists appointed by Mamata quit after TMC ouster

SEveral former bureaucrats and advisors decreed by outgoing westward Bengal chief government minister Mamata Banerjee feature tendered their resignations followers the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections, even as the outgoing chief minister has refused to step down.The list includes former chief secretaries Alapan Bandyopadhyay, HK Dwivedi and Manoj Pant, as well as economist Abhirup Sarkar.“I was the chairperson of the West Bengal Infrastructure Development Finance Corporation (WBIDC) and the West Bengal Small Industries Development Corporation (WBSIDC). I have already tendered my resignation to the secretaries of the concerned departments on Tuesday,” Sarkar told HT on Wednesday.Also Read | Mamata Banerjee refuses to step down as Bengal CM despite defeat: What happens next? | Rules explainedThe BJP swept the assembly elections held in April, winning 207 of the 294 seats, while the TMC secured only 80.“Even though I am not a political person, the appointments were political appointments. I was appointed by then chief minister Mamata Banerjee. As she has lost, I have no moral right to continue,” said Sarkar, who has held several positions in committees, commissions and corporations in the past.In May 2021, the Centre had issued an order to recall Alapan Bandyopadhyay, then chief secretary of West Bengal, for missing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting in the aftermath of cyclone Yaas. The state government was asked to relieve the IAS officer and direct him to report to North Block.Mamata Banerjee, however, requested the Prime Minister to withdraw the order. She later informed that Bandyopadhyay had retired from service and would not join in Delhi, appointing him instead as her chief advisor. He chose to retire on May 31 rather than avail the three-month extension granted by the state government.“On Tuesday, I sent my resignation to the state’s chief secretary,” Bandyopadhyay said.Sources in the secretariat said a few other former bureaucrats who retired as the state’s chief secretaries and were later appointed as advisors by Banerjee, including HK Dwivedi and Manoj Pant, also sent in their resignations.A former journalist serving as media advisor in the state’s Information and Cultural Affairs department also resigned on Tuesday.Also Read | Unrest in Kolkata after Mamata Banerjee's poll defeat, refusal to resign? What police sayThe resignations come at a time when Mamata Banerjee has refused to step down as chief minister, claiming that her party won the polls but the counting process was jointly rigged by the Election Commission, central paramilitary forces and the BJP.Meanwhile, the state’s advocate general Kishore Datta also submitted his resignation to West Bengal Governor RN Ravi. Datta had been serving as advocate general since December 2023 and had earlier held the post from 2017 to 2021.“I have sent my resignation to the Governor on Tuesday,” Datta told HT.“I don’t have any comments on this,” said TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar.“Not all are shameless like her and so they have resigned. Mamata lost the election. The people of West Bengal have abandoned her. She has lost from her own turf. But still she hasn’t resigned,” said Rahul Sinha, a senior state BJP leader.