'Green' carpet treatment

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s antipathy towards the colour red (and the party it symbolises) is well-known. In fact, party insiders jokingly say she does not even drink “red tea” (tea without milk). However, didi has taken this aversion of hers a step further and has decided to tweak the English phrase “red carpet treatment” to her liking. Following suit are Mamata loyalists and State Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee who recently said the state government will roll out the “green” (Trinamool Congress’ colour) carpet to welcome industrialists who are keen on investing in the state. “Red means ‘no’. We want to give investors a green signal,” Chatterjee explained.