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Kolkata: Describing her
meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as "positive,
constructive and creative", West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata
Banerjee Monday said the former assured her of American investment
in the state for its business and economic development,
considering Bengal as a "partner state".
Banerjee, however, said issues like Teesta water sharing with
Bangladesh and foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand
retail were "never raised" in the talks.
Addressing a press conference after a meeting with Clinton at the
state secretariat, the chief minister said: "They (the US) will
invest in West Bengal as a partner state. For a long time, there
has not been any US investment in the state. After the change in
political scenario, they said that the US would favour investment
in Bengal."
Banerjee said Clinton has expressed the US' desire to invest in
West Bengal as the state has witnessed a change in its "political
scenario" after decades. She said she also urged Clinton to
consider American investments in the state's software, IT and
manufacturing, health and education sectors.
Banerjee said state Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh and US Ambassador
to India Nancy Powell would coordinate between themselves and
jointly monitor the projects, which would be set up under
public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.
"We have formed a small group. Ghosh and Powell will coordinate
between themselves and monitor the implementation of the
projects," she said.
Banerjee, the Trinamool Congress chief, stressed issues like
Teesta water sharing dispute and FDI did not come up in the talks
with Clinton as was speculated in the media.
"We only discussed developmental issues. Strategic issues we did
not discuss. Teesta and FDI did not come up in the meeting. There
issues were never raised," she stated.
There was speculations in the political circles that Teesta water
sharing with Bangladesh and FDI in multi-brand retail would be
discussed in the Clinton-Banerjee meet. The Trinamool is strictly
opposing foreign investment in retail, while the chief minister
had opted out of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Dhaka trip last
year, leading to the agreement on water sharing being dropped.
After the meeting, the chief minister said she was "very
delighted" as the talks with Clinton had been "positive,
constructive, creative and concrete".
Informing that the secretary of state appreciated her for
implementation of different development programmes after coming to
power in the state, the chief minister said she has assured her of
US government's support in the business and economic development
of the state, which was facing a severe debt crisis.
"She hailed us for coming to power in the state with huge support
and changing the political scenario. She also appreciated our
implementation of programmes in mission mode," Banerjee said.
Banerjee's Trinamool Congress, joining hands with the Congress,
ousted the left Front, which had been in power for 34 years, last
May.
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