Sania sparkle at Buddha swearing-in

KOLKATA: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has been swearing by investment ever since the Left Front romped back to power with 235 seats.

In keeping with his sentiment, a host of industrialists from across the country have been invited for Thursday's coronation. But guess who'll be the belle of the ball: Sania Mirza, who isn't remotely connected with industry.

What's even surprising is that it's the tennis star who expressed her wish to be part of the ceremony. The state government was only too happy to oblige.

Asok Bhattacharya, municipal affairs and urban development minister of the 2001-2005 Cabinet, said, "Sania has told me that she wants to participate in the historic occasion. We will have her flown from Hyderabad. We shall be extremely happy to have her here."

Official at Writers' Buildings are excited at the "glam touch" to the industrialist-studded ceremony. One of them said, "Sania is a symbol of today's youth. Her presence will send out a definite and positive message about the new government.

" The other sports person who'll grace the occasion is Sourav Ganguly. Also invited are a host of intellectuals - including professor M S Swaminathan (agriculture scientist), Irfan Habib (historian), P Sainath (columnist), N Ram (editor, The Hindu), Romila Thapar (historian), Jayati Ghosh, Prabhat and Utsa Patnaik (economists). Social activist Teesta Setalvad has also been invited.

The tentative list of invitees was presented to Bhattacharjee on Monday afternoon, a few hours before he resigned as CM of the erstwhile government and staked claim to form a new one.