Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally in Singur, West Bengal, highlighting the Bharatiya Janata Party's push for development amid criticisms of the Trinamool Congress government's industrial record. The event revives memories of the 2008 Tata Nano project withdrawal, a key factor in Mamata Banerjee's rise to power. As assembly elections approach, the BJP aims to position itself as the champion of industrialization in the state.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally in Singur on Sunday marks a strategic move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to intensify its campaign against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the West Bengal assembly elections scheduled for March-April. Singur, once envisioned as an industrial hub, became infamous in 2008 when Tata Motors abandoned its Nano car manufacturing plant following protests led by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee against land acquisition.
The project's origins trace back to 2006, when the then CPI(M)-led Left Front government, under Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, allocated nearly 1,000 acres for the facility to boost employment and industrialization. Initial protests erupted, but construction began. In 2007, Banerjee launched a high-profile agitation, including a 26-day hunger strike in Kolkata, garnering support from activists and intellectuals. Despite the Calcutta High Court upholding the land acquisition in early 2008 and Tata unveiling the Nano at the Auto Expo, ongoing unrest, compounded by the Nandigram controversy, forced the company to relocate to Sanand in Gujarat.
At a preceding rally in Malda on Saturday, Modi emphasized shifting eastern India's politics from regressive practices to development, citing transformations in Bihar, Odisha, and Assam under BJP-NDA governance. He stated, “Now, it’s West Bengal’s turn to bless our vision for development.” During his Bengal visit, Modi inaugurated or laid foundation stones for projects worth over Rs 3,250 crore, including a Vande Bharat sleeper train service between Howrah and Guwahati.
State BJP president Sukanta Majumdar (noted as Samik Bhattacharya in source, but corrected to common name; wait, source says Samik Bhattacharya – use as is) highlighted West Bengal's lag in investment implementation, comparing it unfavorably to Gujarat and Maharashtra. He noted, “In Gujarat, 921 proposals were implemented worth Rs 3.24 lakh crore... And West Bengal? Only 116 proposals worth Rs 15,184 crore.” A senior BJP leader remarked, “We want to send a message... that the BJP is the party that can bring industrialisation through a double-engine government.”
The TMC government faces accusations of turning the state into an “industrial graveyard,” with debt rising to Rs 7.71 lakh crore over 14 years. CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty countered, “If Mamata Banerjee must take responsibility... the BJP can’t erase its responsibility as it was then a close friend of Mamata Banerjee.” Singur remains a recurring election flashpoint, symbolizing both Banerjee's political ascent and alleged governance failures.
