West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee arrives at NSCBI Airport in Kolkata, on September 12, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday left for a 12-day tour of Spain and the United Arab Emirates. This is the first foreign trip by the Chief Minister in five years and aims at attracting investments to the State.
“It’s been five years since we went abroad. Spain was the theme country of this year’s International Kolkata Book Fair. They are good in manufacturing and other industries. We will be participating in business conferences there,” the Chief Minister told journalists at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Ms. Banerjee is scheduled to spend the night in Dubai due to the unavailability of connecting flights, before flying to Spain’s capital Madrid the next day. The Chief Minister said she will stay in Madrid for three days, during which she will attend a business summit and meet non-resident Bengalis.
State Chief Secretary H. K. Dwivedi and a contingent of business leaders, including representatives of sporting clubs from Kolkata Maidan are with the Chief Minister. Former Indian Cricket Captain Sourav Ganguly is also likely to join the Chief Minister in Barcelona.
The Chief Minister held meetings with officials before leaving and urged the people of the state to beat back any attempts to disrupt law and order during her absence.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said there were issues with Ms. Banerjee’s stopover in Dubai and said other members of her family have been visiting the UAE too. Mr. Adhikari said Dubai is a safe haven to park illegal funds and the Chief Minister is aware of this.