Business magnets, stars to sparkle in Buddhadeb's swearing

Kolkata, May 16 (UNI) Business magnets, sport personalities, intellectuals and high profile politicians will add sparkle to Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's cornation for the second term on May 18.

According to official sources, the tentative invitees list would include the who's who of business world like Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Azim Premji, the Ambani brothers and Navin Jindal to name a few in addition to the Goenkas, Birlas and Ruias.

Officials said Mr Bhattacharjee wants to send a clear message that the seventh Left Front government ''means business''.

According to Mr Asok Bhattacharya, the Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister in the 2001-2005 cabinet, tennis sensation Sania Mirza has expressed her willingness to participate on the occasion. Former Team India captain Saurav Ganguly will be the other sportsperson to grace the occasion.

The tentative list of invitees include intellectuals like professor M S Swaminathan (agricultural scientist), Irfan Habib (historian), P Sainath (columnist), Romila Thapar (historian), Jayati Ghosh, Prabhat and Utsa Patnaik (economists) and Teesta Setalvad (social activist), the sources said.

Former Prime Minister V P Singh, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, Polit bureau member Harkishen Singh Surjeet, CPM secretary Prakash Karat and freedom figher Phulrenu Guha would grace the occasion.

A public works department source said that sitting arrangements have been made for 3,200 people, 700 more than the last occasion in 2001.

UNI TJP/AS/PA BST1135