Delhi ducks but not Adani

ANOTHER A: Pranav Adani, a director of Adani Enterprises, rises to speak on the second day of Bengal Global Business Summit as chief minister Mamata Banerjee looks on. The Adani Group has held exploratory talks with the Bengal government to revive the Kulpi port project. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Devadeep Purohit, TT, Jan 17, 2018, New Town: A name trumped the number on the concluding day of Bengal Global Business Summit 2018.

The presence of Pranav Adani by Mamata Banerjee's side drew more eyeballs than the preliminary estimate of investment proposals - Rs 2.19 lakh crore - the chief minister cited at the close of the event.

Pranav is a key member of the $19-billion Adani Group and the nephew of Gautam Adani who is considered close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"If you have a member of the Adani family on the dais with the most vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government, the name has to become a talking point," said an official.

The impact of the summit on the industrial front will take time to be evident but the political ripples were apparent. A Trinamul insider later said with relish that an "A" each stole the show on each day of the summit, referring to Mukesh Ambani's presence on Tuesday and that of Adani the following day. Both also happen to trace their roots to Gujarat, he added.

The "Gujarat factor" was hammered home because of the political undercurrents.

Suggestions had been made that some central ministers pulled out from this year's summit at the last minute because of the Delhi-Calcutta duel. "Still, the Ambanis and the Adani Group are showing interest in Bengal and showering praises on the chief minister," said an industrialist.

Some industrialists are adept at managing different environments but Trinamul leaders did not miss the chance to claim that the guest list this time was "proof of Mamata's growing political clout beyond Bengal".

A Trinamul veteran said Lakshmi Mittal was "on his way from London to Italy. But he came to Calcutta, spent 12 hours and went to Italy. He doesn't have any business interest in the state but still he turned up."