Outgoing West Bengal CM Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and PM Narendra Modi. (File Photo)

From Tussels with Governors, frequent face-offs with central agencies to withdrawal of general consent for investigation by the CBI in the state, the prolonged legal battles between the Trinamool Congress-led West Bengal government and the BJP-led Centre over the last decade have defined federal tensions. Now, with the BJP’s decisive victory in the Assembly elections, these issues will be reframed around the benefits of a “double engine”.

In 2018, the West Bengal government had withdrawn the “general consent” to investigations by the CBI. The consent of a state is mandatory under the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act, 1946 for the central agency to begin a probe. The Andhra Pradesh government too had withdrawn general consent for CBI probes when the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) was at odds with the NDA government.…