A year ago on Aug 19, 2008, Banerjee did meet chamber captains on the Singur issue, but she had then made clear her pro-farmer and anti-land acquisition stand.

However, since the Lok Sabha triumph, Banerjee has been trying to position her party as pro-development and responsible.

She sent her first message to the industrial lobby by drafting in Amit Mitra, secretary-general of Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), to head a panel that will draw up business plans for the railways' public-private partnership (PPP) projects, including an industrial corridor alongside a planned freight corridor.

But the party has denied that the meeting has political undertones.

'She is meeting the chambers in her capacity as railways minister. The party is no way involved,' Partho Chattopadhyay, leader of the opposition in the state assembly, told IANS.

Asked about the chambers' expectations from the meet, FICCI eastern region president C.K. Dhanuka told IANS: 'We don't know about the agenda yet. It will be clear to us on that day only.'

Confederation of Indian Industry eastern regional director Saugat Mukherji told IANS: 'We are working for the development of the industries and any such meeting helps us in furthering that process.'