Ambani brothers on Mamata's guest list for Mumbai meet

Adding further value to the recent vote of confidence from ITC chairman Y C Deveshwar, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee could soon have on her guest list the Brothers Ambani.

Banerjee, who will meet industry captains at Mumbai on August 1 to discuss possible investment for Bengal, is expected to see the presence of owners of both Mukesh and Anil.

Although senior government officials associated with the scheduled interface with industry captains remain tight-lipped about the guest list, according to a minister from the Trinamool Congress government, the list includes both  Ambani brothers, who have given oral consent of being present at the meeting.

The interaction, which will take place at the Global Trade Centre in Mumbai, is also expected to see the presence of other leading members of India Inc such as Adi Godrej, Rahul Bajaj and Deveshwar.

According to senior officials, the meeting would also see in attendance actor Shah Rukh Khan, who is the brand ambassador of West Bengal and is acting as conduit between the industry and the state government. “Shah Rukh is also trying to get some of the leading industrialists from Mumbai to ensure that the meeting is a success. He would also have a chat with both Mukesh and Anil Ambani to persuade them into joining the interaction,” said a senior official.

Sources said the government is also trying to rope in Amitabh Bachchan to be present at the gathering to add more value, but the only roadblock is the actor’s present status as the brand ambassador of Gujarat. “Both Shah Rukh and Bachchan were present at the inaugural ceremony of the annual Kolkata Film Festival in November last year, making it a huge success. The chief minister believes their presence would make even this event a success,” said an official.

What has left concerned officials worried is the fact that despite the event being scheduled for coming Thursday, which is just a few days away, and that too in Mumbai, a city far away from the state government’s influence, the guest list remains somewhat vague, with hardly any official confirmations.

“There are a lot of oral consents but not many formal letters accepting invitation. If most of the bigwigs stay away from the gathering, it would be a major loss of face for the government and would convey a negative message,” said an official associated with the event.

Meanwhile, at least three West Bengal ministers are of the opinion that the interface with industry captains would be a huge success. Their confidence received further steam with the ITC chairman appreciating the state government in his interaction with the media on Friday.

Deveshwar even went on to say that he would request all industrialist who have left Bengal to return, because things have become better in the last one and a half years, since the time Mamata Banerjee came to power.

“If someone as important as Deveshwar can say that, a lot of industrialists would be interested. We have to make the best of the situation,” said one of the three ministers.