We welcome all constructive support & suggestions, especially from the Central Govt in negating the #Covid19 crisis… https://t.co/jVORPuumbg — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) 1587377509000

I urge both Honb’le Prime Minister @NarendraModi Ji & Home Minister @AmitShah Ji to share the criterion used for th… https://t.co/XAI1e7JkFo — Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) 1587377509000

NEW DELHI: The Narendra Modi government has termed the West Bengal government’s “non-cooperation” in assessing the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic in the state as “extremely unfortunate”. Constitutional experts also blamed the Mamata Banerjee government for creating obstacles for the central team to perform its duty.Talking to timesofindia.com , Union minorities welfare minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) is authorised to take decisions in the interest of all the citizens of the country. Therefore, the states should cooperate with it.“However, instead of cooperating with NDMA, she (West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee) is creating conflict. This is extremely unfortunate,” he said.Asked what would the Centre do now that Mamata Banerjee has objected to the visit of the central team to her state, Mukktar Abbas Naqvi said, “For the Union government, welfare of the citizens of West Bengal is priority.”Constitutional expert and former Lok Sabha secretary general Subhash C Kashyap defended the Centre on constitutional grounds. He said infectious diseases are in the Concurrent List of the Constitution along with public health and National Disaster Management Act.He said, “The constitutional provisions are quite clear over the Centre’s role during the outbreak of infectious diseases. The Union government is entitled to take decisions and direct the states under Articles 256 and 257 of the Constitution. It is well within its rights to direct the states to take necessary steps on the lines indicated by it.”Asked what the Centre should do if states refuse or question the former - as in the case of West Bengal - Subhash C Kashyap said the Union government should convey to Mamata Banerjee the constitutional provisions.However, late on Tuesday night, the West Bengal government conveyed to the Union government that it was cooperating with the central teams.In a letter to Union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, West Bengal chief secretary Rajiv Sinha said, "“This is to convey my highest assurances for implementation of central government order and Disaster Management Act as well as the directions of the Honb'le Supreme Court.”Earlier, the home ministry said the West Bengal government was not cooperating with the inter-ministerial central teams (IMCTs) that have gone to assess the situation in Kolkata and Jalpaiguri. The central teams have been restrained from paying visits, interacting with the health professionals and assessing the ground situation, Ajay Bhalla has said this in a letter to the West Bengal chief secretary.Prior to that, Mamata Banerjee wrote a strongly-worded letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing her concerns over the visit of the central team.She wrote, "Respected Prime Minister, 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 Inter-Ministerial Central Teams to my state. Unfortunately, the teams had already landed at Kolkata Airport by AI Special Cargo Flight 1701 at 10:10 am, that is much before our telephonic conversation.”“The order dated April 19, 2020, from home ministry addressed to Chief Secretary also reached 30 minutes before the teams arrived. While I appreciate the proactiveness shown by the central government in sending the teams to West Bengal, the same was done prior intimation and hence is a breach of established protocol,” Mamata Banerjee wrote.“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,” she said.The West Bengal CM also objected to the Centre’s observations calling them “devoid of any facts” and credibility.“For example, out of the districts identified, Kalimpong reported the last incident of infection on April 2. Similarly, the last incidents of infection reported in Jalpaiguri was on April 2 and Darjeeling on April 2,” Mamata Banerjee added.“It shows that selection of districts and observations made unilaterally are nothing but a figment of imagination and unfortunate. The state government is proactively enforcing the lockdown measures as notified by the Government of India and is maintaining a closed liaison with concerned central ministries,” she wrote.She claimed that West Bengal had displayed promptness and seriousness by announcing the extension of the lockdown from April 14 to April 30, days before the Centre’s announcement.“I am sure that you will kindly agree that such unilateral action on the part of central government is not desirable at all, especially in the backdrop when both central and state governments are working together relentlessly to contain the Covid-19 crisis,” she said.On Monday, she tweeted her objections. “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 Narendra Modi Ji & Home Minister Amit Shah 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,” she added.