Gautam Adani meets CM Mamata; investments, business summit on agenda

Bengal government officials said Banerjee assured Adani, who heads the Ahmedabad-based multinational conglomerate that a trouble-free business environment would be ensured by her administration. The discussions also included the sea port project that the government is developing with help from the Centre.

Business tycoon Gautam Adani met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna, the secretariat, on Thursday evening and held discussions on investments in the state, said officials aware of the development. The meeting went on for around 90 minutes.

Industrialist Gautam Adani met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna, the secretariat, on Thursday evening. (TWITTER.)

Banerjee, who invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to inaugurate the Bengal Global Business Summit in Kolkata on April 20 during her visit to Delhi on November 24, invited Adani to attend the summit.

Adani, whose current net worth according to the Bloomsberg Billionaires Index is 74.3 billion US dollars, agreed to attend the event.

“Delighted to meet @MamataOfficial, Hon’ble Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Discussed different investment scenarios and the tremendous potential of West Bengal. I look forward to attending the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS) in April 2022,” Adani tweeted on Thursday evening. He also posted a photograph of the meeting.

India’s richest business tycoon, Mukesh Ambani, attended the summit in the past and has been invited again.

Bengal government officials said Banerjee assured Adani, who heads the Ahmedabad-based multinational conglomerate that a trouble-free business environment would be ensured by her administration. The discussions also included the sea port project that the government is developing with help from the Centre.

In recent years, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government of ruining the state’s economy and failing to draw investments despite the chief minister’s repeated trips to foreign shores.

Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, too, has demanded a white paper from the government on actual investments made after the last business summits.

Reacting to Adani’s meeting with the chief minister Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said such meetings will turn fruitful only when the government changes its attitude and outlook.

“We always want development in West Bengal. But investments will come only when the law and order situation improves and business groups are not subjected to extortion. Till that happens, Banerjee will only play to the gallery,” said Bhattacharya.