Urging people to maintain peace, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday left for her six-day visit to the UK.
Speaking with mediapersons outside the Kolkata Airport, CM Banerjee said though she will not be in the state, she will continue to keep a tab on the affairs in Bengal. “I wish people live peacefully. I will be in touch (with officials and ministers) during my stay abroad and will monitor everything,” the CM said.
Earlier this week, CM Banerjee had announced that a five-member task force comprising ministers and top-level officers would oversee the state’s daily affairs while she would be away from the country. She had also said that Subrata Bakshi and Abhishek Banerjee would oversee the party’s day to day work.
CM Banerjee is scheduled to return to Bengal on March 28.
Mamata Banerjee said her itinerary was disrupted by the shutdown at the Heathrow airport in London. “We have several business meetings lined up. Let’s see how to accommodate them — some have to be curtailed and rearranged. Let’s see how we can manage,” she said.
“There is no direct flight to London from Kolkata. That has prolonged the journey. We are trying to get a direct flight between London and Kolkata,” she said.
Meanwhile, during her visit the Chief Minister is scheduled to attend a programme at the Indian High Commission in London on March 24.
She will address a business meet on March 25, organised by the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) in association with the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). The event aims to attract investments and facilitate business collaborations between West Bengal and the UK.
CM Banerjee will also attend a government-to-government (G2G) programme on March 26, and address a university event at Oxford on March 27, a release said. This will be her second visit to the UK as the chief minister. The first one was in November 2017.
In September 2023, Mamata Banerjee visited Spain for a business summit and spoke with different delegations in Madrid and Barcelona. She was accompanied by former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and other leading businessmen and industrialists of Bengal. At the Dubai airport, she had also met with Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe.
“Last time during the Spain tour, Sourav Ganguly joined us. Now, we are again expecting Ganguly to join us in London… Many leading businessmen will also accompany this tour of London,” said sources in the administration.
— with PTI