Sidestepping political and ideological differences, American and Indian diplomats as well as Left bigwigs are preparing the ground for what will be a pathbreaking first official visit by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, the Marxist Chief Minister of West Bengal, to the US sometime next year.
To ensure no one takes a false step in this delicate exercise — where West Bengal`s innovative CM flies to George Bush’s US to find investment for his state — Indian diplomats are being kept in the loop on how to move forward. And it is on their advice that Bhattacharjee will not be the first to visit the US from his state.
The plans are that his will be the culmination of a series of visits by other ‘‘industry-friendly’’ ministers from his state, apparently to test the ground and allow other Bengal ministers and officials to do the homework on how to attract US investment before the CM moves in. These will be in the nature of preparatory visits, and will also include trips by industry associations.
According to a Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official, on the cards is a complete ‘‘roadmap for the US’s substantive engagement’’ with the West Bengal government. As a result, there are no dates as yet for Bhattacharjee’s trip to the US, but the first high-level trip to the US is likely to be by Industry Minister Nirupam Sen, the No.2 in the Bengal cabinet.
There is also an Indian interest that there are no hiccups even as the so-called roadmap is being charted out for the US’s engagement with the Left bastion. So Ronen Sen, India’s Ambassador to the US, is expected to be home in mid-December with plans to schedule a meeting with the West Bengal CM.
... contd.
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