Highlights
- Delegation led by state minister Amit Mitra visited BMW offices in Munich
- BMW officials were happy with Bengal's progress, Mr Mitra said
- "We told BMW all options are open for them to invest in Bengal," he added
The Tata group may have said 'Good Bye' to West Bengal for its Nano project, but West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is actively wooing the auto industry.
On their way back from Rome -- where the Chief Minister had gone to attend the canonization of Mother Teresa -- a delegation led by state finance minister Amit Mitra stopped by at Munich to meet the executives of auto major BMW.
"BMW said they are impressed with the progress made in Bengal... We have told BMW that all options are open for them to invest in the state," Mr Mitra told reporters after a three-hour meeting, during which BMW also made presentations on electric cars and electric cycles.
Echoing Ms Banerjee, who declared last week that Bengal was the "final destination" for industry, Mr Mitra said, "Today's meeting was a confidence building measure."
The government appears to be laying out the red carpet for investors as Ms Banerjee is settling into her second term in office.
With the Supreme Court decision in the Singur land case going in her favour, Ms Banerjee now wants to prove she is not anti-industry. While extending an olive branch to the Tatas, she has signaled that she wants more industrial houses to come forward.
In her first term, she was criticized for not being able to draw investment to the state. But opening up to foreign investors will also entail the delicate job of balancing farmers' interests.
Kolkata Mayor Sovan Chatterjee is accompanying the Chief Minister to Germany. What he is pushing is a sister city partnership with Dusseldorf and he has already held a meeting with the Mayor of Dusseldorf in this regard.
With West Bengal being the fourth largest economy in the country, Amit Mitra said the state has immense potential and the government is working hard to realise it.