West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee completed her six-day visit to London on Friday, where she pitched investment opportunities and defended her government’s policies while addressing scholars and business leaders.
Banerjee underscored the challenges she has faced throughout her career on X, stating, “Life has been a battle, one that I have fought as a student leader, as the voice of the opposition, and now as the head of a people’s government. I will not allow anyone to diminish Bengal’s achievements or question the sacrifices that have shaped our progress.”
Banerjee’s visit included a business meet jointly organised by the UK India Business Council (UKIBC) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), where she extended an invitation to British businesses to invest in Bengal.
According to a senior official, the state received several business proposals and signed MoUs with British firms. As quoted by The Indian Express, the official said, 'If this process continues with proper follow-ups, we will see immense success in our industrialisation drive.
During her address at Oxford University, Banerjee highlighted key welfare schemes, such as Kanyashree and Lakshmir Bhandar, describing them as transformative for women and marginalised communities.
“It was a moment of personal pride to see scholars, academicians, and thought leaders recognise the Bengal Model we have built with such dedication,” she said.
Her speech was disrupted with protests from students who raised placards and questioned her government’s handling of issues such as the RG Kar rape and murder case, the Singur land controversy, and a recent incident at Jadavpur University involving Education Minister Bratya Basu’s convoy.
Banerjee pushed back against the criticism, stating that the RG Kar case was under central jurisdiction and urging protesters not to “disrespect their institution by insulting her.”
Banerjee also proposed that Oxford University set up a campus in Kolkata, assuring authorities that land could be arranged “in an hour.”
