[1]KOLKATA : West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee yesterday denied the fact that she had any meeting with American Envoy Nancy Powel, highly placed Government and Consulate sources however confirmed that “the meet was cancelled at the last minute’’ at Nabanya.
It took hours before it could be confirmed after angry Mamata Banerjee snapped back at reporters: “You know so much, you write so much…but let me tell you there isn’t any scheduled meeting.’’
Apparently, she was annoyed with reporters who inquired what happened to the meet at the new secretariat?
So hours after TMC website which claimed that Powel is coming, withdrawn the news flash. While it set off a spate of speculations in all political camps, but a state-based industrialist told this reporter on the condition of anonymity that “the meeting could not materialize due to Mamata Banerjee’s political calculations, but it was an unwise move in economic terms as it may have triggered new avenues for American investments.’’
“For a state struggling to get back on industrial map, should not have avoided it. It was due to vote-bank politics and Banerjee’s ambition to score a point in North Indian belt like UP or Delhi,’’ he said.
The cancellation of the meeting which came as surprise also left political commentators and party leaders a bit confused.
“When last year a senior Democrat leader and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Nancy Powell came and met her at Writers’ Buildings, there wasn’t any inhibitions in Mamata Banerjee, she ensured that meeting should take place in early morning hours when reporters (even with accreditation cards) weren’t allowed in beyond a limit, isn’t it,’’ he said leaving a question behind.
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Political insiders however guessed that her “recent decision to make inroads into North India scripted the cancellation as she might have lost Muslim leaders’ good wishes, after all it’s Lok Sabha election times and very crucial for that.’’
Observers here feel though she did not share the CPI(M) and other Left Front leaders’ reservation against America on ideological plane, “but she cannot afford to lose minority votes who are even in India not favourably disposed towards Washington.’’
But TMC leaders would spike such assumptions “the problem begins when and where you start disbelieving us and our leader that there wasn’t any meeting,’’ said a top party leader refusing to be quoted.
Yet there’s much than meets the eye in Banerjee’s cancellation of the meeting with Powell! Speaking to this reporter, a senior leader and academician from Deoband- and Delhi-based Jammiat Ullema-I- Hind, told this reporter: “We do not know if Mamata Banerjee has approached any of our leaders or vice versa, but what we know that the minorities over all and our local organization leaders are not anyway against her profile as Indian politician, they rather treat her as friend, if nothing else.’’
Senior party members however confirmed that there are chances that some of most politically influential Imams from UP and Delhi may approach her, “ we did not get anyone approaching us yet though, but they may….’’
And for all practical reasons, Mamata’s unfolding national ambitions “may have spiked the meet with Nancy, even if it meant temporarily closing the doors on possibility of US drive at investments in West Bengal,’’ felt a non-Left economist.However, Powell, who met West Bengal Governor MK Narayanan at Raj Bhawan and retired back to American Consulate leaving behind some uneasy questions for not an anti-Washington Bengal politician.
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