Mamata skips CII meet over Sen's demise

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today skipped the Confederation of Indian Industry's (CII's ) national council meeting as she got busy with the last rites of legendary actress Suchitra Sen.

However, Banerjee tried to make it up for the industrialists present at the national council meeting by speaking to them via industry and finance minister Amit Mitra's mobile phone. As the last rites of Sen were being performed, Banerjee spoke to CII members over the phone and apologised multiple times for her absence, according to a member present at the closed door meeting. Banerjee and her close aide Amit Mitra who holds the state's finance and industry portfolio have urged the industrialists to come up with more projects in the state and assured them of full support from the government.

Suchitra Sen was in hospital for over three weeks and Banerjee has been a daily visitor to her in a city hospital for the last several days. She has been in constant touch with Sen's doctors and used to spend almost two hours at the hospital on most of the days in the last three weeks.

S Gopalakrishnan, vice chairman of Infosys and CII president was present at the meeting along with industrialists such as Sanjiv Goenka, Sumit Mazumder among others. "She has reiterated her commitment to industry. Also She has assured to extend all kind of help to organise CII international Conference next year," CESC chairman Sanjiv Goenka said. The conference will be organised on the ocassion of 120th year of CII.

Former state industries minister Partha Chatterjee, who is the state IT minister at present, met Gopalakrishnan and is set to visit Bangalore shortly to resolve the long impending Infosys campus issue over grant of SEZ (special economic zone). "I will go to Bangalore shortly," the minister said by adding that date for the meeting is yet to be finalised. When asked, Gopalakrishnan echoed the same and said both are trying to arrange for a meeting soon inn Bangalore.