Mamata invites British PM Cameron, rushes back home

“My message for the British PM is that he must visit Kolkata again and see that it is truly the gateway to the east,” Banerjee said in response to a letter from Cameron apologising for not being able to meet her in London due to his tour of South East Asia.

“I am sorry that my travel plans mean I will not be in London to see you in London...I fondly recall our meeting in Kolkata in November 2013, when we discussed the positive UK-West Bengal bilateral cooperation that exists, and the wealth of trade and investment opportunities this offers,” Cameron had written in his letter dated July 24.

“Britain started with Kolkata as its business capital (during the Raj) so that is the destination. History repeats itself and it is destiny that British business should expand to Kolkata,” she said. When asked how the West Bengal capital compares to London, Banerjee says both cities have their own <g data-gr-id="25">identity</g> but there are a number of similarities.

“As I have been walking around, I see a lot of similarities in architecture and road names. They have Queen Victoria’s statue, we have Victoria Memorial. London is an expensive <g data-gr-id="30">city</g> but Kolkata is not. It is a soft, soothing, cheap city. London is pollution-free and we are fast moving towards a cleaner, greener city,” she said.