MUNI THE BOSS

KOLKATA: Guess who Mamata Banerjee's inviting for a pre-Diwali dinner party? The A-list of Bengal's industry world 150 of the biggest names.

On the ground, the Trinamool Congress chief is telling party workers to hold patience till the next assembly polls. But behind closed doors, Mamata who wants to make it obvious she is the chief-minister-in-waiting is rapidly building a rapport with industrialists and corporate bigwigs.

Her clubbing together of public sector utilities for industry is just the beginning. On Monday evening, Mamata would be eager to show she means business when she talks of Bengal's development.

The dinner will be held at 27 Ballygunge Park. Invites for the "Bijoya Sammilani and Pre-Diwali get-together", signed by leader of opposition Partha Chatterjee, have been sent out to more than 150 big names of industrial houses, corporates and chambers. Union minister Dinesh Trivedi, mayor Sovan Chatterjee, Trina-mool leader Derek O'Brien and some other Trinamool Union ministers will make up Mamata's delegation.

According to sources, RPG Enterprise vice-chairman Sanjeev Goenka, Ambuja Realty chairman Harsh Neotia, Keventer group chairman M K Jalan, Tata Ryerson MD and Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Sandipan Chakraborty, Descon MD S Radhakrishnan, Acclaris MD Kalyan Kar and Patton MD Sanjay Budhia are among the invitees.

So are the presidents and secretary-generals of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Bharat Chamber of Commerce, Bengal National Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Merchants' Chamber of Commerce.

Trinamool sources said the invites were sent out on Saturday afternoon. The dinner has been kept a close-knit' affair and even the invitees were reluctant to talk about it, other than to confirm that they had been invited to the get-together.

The pre-Diwali dinner party isn't the first time that Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee will be interacting with industry captains. Right after her triumph in the Lok Sabha polls, industrialists from Bengal had showered praise on her during an interactive session. Mamata held a meeting with industrialists before presenting her second railway budget with the UPA-II. Two months ago, she had a dinner meeting with a select group of industrialists at the house of a senior Trinamool leader.

The strong winds of change that are blowing through Bengal and filling Trinamool's wings have brought about a shift in the party's mindset as well as Trinamool's perception among business leaders.

In the aftermath of the Lok Sabha victory, Mamata was quick to discard the agitationist mode that her party had fallen into after the Singur-Nandigram episodes. She started talking about development and repeatedly voiced her displeasure over strikes, bandhs and blockades.

It earned her praise from the industry, which has grown tired of the ruling Left's sticking to the bandh-wagon. With assembly elections only months away, Mamata wants to ensure that she has the industry on her side.

"This is the festive season and she wants to exchange greetings with the industry leaders. There will be some interaction, followed by dinner. She has been holding such meetings with the industry and corporate sector for some time now," a senior Trinamool leader said.

Business leaders will be eager to hear what the railways minister has to say on Monday evening. "Such informal meetings between industrialists and ministers are good for development," said a former chairman of CII Eastern Region.

Another industrialist with a strong presence in agro-infrastructure feels the meeting will be beneficial. "We have had fruitful interactions with the railways minister in the past. We expect that this meeting will also benefit the industry and the state," he said.





Read more: Didi biz pitch at Diwali dinner - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Didi-biz-pitch-at-Diwali-dinner/articleshow/6849235.cms#ixzz14I71dxcX