Global Partnership Summit shifted out of Kolkata to Agra

New Delhi/Kolkata : Days after the Trinamool Congress walked out of the UPA, the central government has shifted a meeting of world’s industry captains from Kolkata to Agra in Uttar Pradesh. West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee dubbed the move as an “act of vengeance”.

Making the announcement about the change of venue of the Global Partnership Summit, union Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said in Delhi the decision was taken in view of the “strident opposition and hostile approach to FDI” on the part of the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal.

“Given the strident opposition, and a hostile approach to FDI in general, it would not be appropriate to invite corporate chiefs and global business leaders to Kolkata when the (state) government is totally opposed to FDI. We have been compelled to shift,” said Sharma.

“Because I cannot take the corporate leaders from the world to a place where they will face opposition and demonstration,” said Sharma, who had himself announced here last November that the annual summit would be held in January 2013.

In a sharp reaction, Banerjee said she had no idea when Kolkata was decided as the venue of the summit or when the event was shifted out of the city.

“We have not received any information regarding either the holding or shifting the venue of the summit. They have now adopted a vindictive attitude. So they are saying such things,” she said.

State Finance Minister Amit Mitra said: “We have not received any intimation about either organising or shifting of the venue.”

State Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee was equally critical.

“Last year, he (Sharma) came here and afer meeting the chief minister announced that the global meet will be held here. We are yet to be informed of the decision. If this is due to the political situation, we know how to go about it. Since he had made promise, people of West Bengal will not take it kindly,” Chatterjee said.

The centre’s decision came four days after Trinaamool quit Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s ministry and withdrew support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in protest against the latter’s recent economic measures.