US Ambassador Aancy Powell meets West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

KOLKATA: The US ambassador to India, Nancy Powell met West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday and held talks for about twenty minutes. Both Mamata and Powell remained tight lipped over their meeting at the state administrative headquarters in Writers' Buildings.

Senior state government officials, however termed Powell's visit as a "courtesy call."

Jeffrey K. Reneau, director American Centre in Kolkata and official spokesperson said that "the US ambassador's visit was scheduled for the past three weeks. We had sent a request to the chief minister Mamata Banerjee's office for a courtesy call by ambassador Powell three weeks back. Thus it was already a planned visit."

But Powell's meeting with Mamata Banerjee is being viewed critically as the chief minister had recently snapped her ties with the UPA government opposing it's decisions about FDI.