Bengal Guv junks US trip citing fund crunch as Mamata returns from UAE, Spain

West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose has cancelled his scheduled visit to the US due to the state’s “financial difficulties”, and “adversities” like deaths due to dengue. 

The governor, refraining from travelling at the organiser’s cost, dropped his visit, as the alternative option for financially supporting the visit would make the public exchequer bear his expenses.

Governor Bose was to travel to Washington DC, for attending World Culture Festival, scheduled to take place from September 29 to October 1. The visit was on the invitation of an international committee headed by Ban Ki-moon, former secretary general of United Nations. The Governor was to attend the function as “a representative of the Culture Capital of India – Kolkata – and the country at this international forum”, an update shared by Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, stated.

The Governor’s expenses were to be borne by the organisers, but taking the protocol into account, he considered it inappropriate to accept “foreign hospitality”. The alternative, however, would mean an expenditure from the public exchequer.

Bose, however, has decided not to attend the festival “at this juncture, when the state is facing financial difficulties and adversities such as dengue deaths”.

Discussions concerning collaboration with American universities for the benefit of state’s students, a point on the governor's agenda on the sidelines of the festival, will now take place online as a “cost-cutting measure”. “Where direct contact is required with the American universities, Indian Embassy officials in the USA shall be requested to be in touch with the American university authorities,” the official update from Raj Bhavan mentioned.

The governor’s proposed visit was to take place after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recently concluded visit to Spain, and the UAE. Banerjee during her tour held business meetings in the two countries, promoting Bengal as an industrial destination, and extending invitations to investors for the upcoming edition of state’s global business summit.

“Back to Kolkata with serious offers for investments and partnerships from Spain and Dubai. Follow-up overseas delegations will come shortly and during BGBS (the business summit) in November for carrying forward what we started…,” Banerjee shared on X, last Saturday, after returning to Kolkata.

BJP-Bengal leader Suvendu Adhikari, however, had recently claimed that “there has been some public hue & cry”  around the CM’s visit abroad. Accordingly, Adhikari, as a “responsible leader of the Opposition” filed RTI applications to various departments in the state government, seeking information on the visit.