West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held a rally in Singur, countering Prime Minister Narendra Modi's accusations of 'anti-industry' policies. She inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 1,694 projects worth Rs 33,551 crore. The event occurred months ahead of state assembly elections.
Singur, the site where protests against land acquisition for the Tata Nano plant two decades ago propelled the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to power, has once again become a political flashpoint. On January 18, 2026, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched projects worth over Rs 830 crore there, accusing the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government of 'anti-industry' policies.
On Wednesday, Banerjee responded with her own rally in Singur. She slammed the BJP, saying, 'Many people make big promises but do not keep them. My principle is that it is better to die (rather than break promises). I keep 100% promises. I don’t do jumla (rhetoric). We are not a double-engine government. We are the government of ‘ma’, ‘mati’ and ‘manush’.'
Banerjee emphasized that industry and agriculture would grow together. She highlighted a private industrial park over 77 acres where Amazon and Flipkart will set up warehouses, generating thousands of jobs. Additionally, an agro-industrial park on eight acres was built at Rs 9.2 crore to create employment. She added, 'Both agriculture and industry will thrive together, but not by forcefully grabbing farmland.'
Under the Banglar Bari scheme, launched in 2024 amid stalled Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana funds from the Centre since 2022, Banerjee announced 32 lakh more houses in the next two months. 'One crore Bengali houses have already been built. A few days ago, I gave 12 lakh more houses. Delhi has not paid a single rupee,' she said.
Pushing the Ghatal Master Plan to curb annual floods in Paschim Medinipur, Banerjee noted Rs 500 crore of work completed and another Rs 1,000 crore soon. By 2027, river dams will rise by 50 metres, 50 km of canals and rivers will be dug, with two pump houses, three regulators, a bridge extension, and 104 new bridges. Actor-politician Dev, Ghatal MP, thanked her: 'I have been fighting for the Ghatal Master Plan for 10 years. Nobody kept their word. Only one person kept their word and that is Mamata Banerjee.'
The TMC opposed the Election Commission's Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, calling it a conspiracy for NRC. Banerjee warned, 'You are deleting names by conspiracy through SIR. Why can’t you have faith in people? How can EC delete two crore names?' She also accused the BJP of deaths related to SIR and claimed pressure forced classical language status for Bengali, citing attacks on Bengali speakers in BJP-ruled states.
