Kolkata:In one of her first foreign trips since the visa row was kicked up between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Centre, she will leave for an 11-day tour to Spain and Dubai on Tuesday to woo investors from those countries.
The Chief Minister's primary objective will be to attract Bengali NRIs based in two foreign countries. During her visit, Mamata will attend business summits to attract investments to the state. Banerjee will spend the night there due to the unavailability of connecting flights, before flying to Spain's capital Madrid the next day.
"We will stay in Madrid for three days, during which we will attend a business summit and meet non-resident Bengalis. From there, we will take a train to Barcelona, where we will participate in a two-day meeting for the Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS)," she told reporters at state secretariat Nabanna on Tuesday.
She said this will be her first foreign tour in five years as the Centre "had not given her necessary permission earlier". Banerjee will be accompanied by Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi and senior office-bearers of renowned Kolkata football clubs Mohun Bagan, East Bengal and Mohammedan Sporting.