Symbolic message for Mamata? PM Modi may address rally in Singur where Tata Nano exit shaped TMC's destiny

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

• PM Modi likely to hold a public meeting in Singur, Hooghly, on January 18
• Singur was the site of the Tata Nano project, which was halted after protests
• BJP expects Modi's visit to signal industrial growth and political change

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to hold a public meeting in Singur, Hooghly district, on January 18 as part of his proposed two-day visit to West Bengal. Local BJP leaders have indicated that the Prime Minister is expected to address a public rally at Gopalnagar mouza in Singur, the site once selected for the Tata Motors Nano car manufacturing project.

“The Honourable Prime Minister is likely to come to Singur’s Gopalnagar mouza, where the Tata factory was supposed to come up. We have already inspected the ground. We are thrilled, as we believe he will deliver a message on industrialisation. His visit will carry a strong signal and indicate the possibility of change,” Hooghly BJP president Gautam Chatterjee told News18.

According to BJP leaders, the Prime Minister’s decision to visit Singur carries political and economic significance, with expectations that he will send a firm message on industrial growth. The site gained prominence after Tata Motors pulled out its project following an extended agitation against land acquisition led by Mamata Banerjee.

Looking back at Tata Nano Singur controversy: How it reshaped Bengal's political landscape

Singur occupies a significant place in Bengal’s political and industrial history. During the Left Front government’s tenure, Tata Motors planned to manufacture its low-cost Nano car at a plant in Singur, with a proposed annual capacity of one lakh vehicles.

The move triggered widespread unrest in Singur as some farmers accepted compensation while others refused to part with their land, fearing the loss of livelihoods.

The then opposition leader Mamata Banerjee – eager to revitalise her political fortunes after a setback in the 2006 Assembly polls – was quick enough to back the farmers, demanding the return of land. She led fierce protests against what she called the “forcible acquisition” of land.

TMC’s unprecedented victory in June 2008 in the panchayat polls in Purba Medinipur, South 24 Parganas, and Singur area gave Mamata Banerjee a renewed momentum. That same year in August, she began an indefinite sit-in outside the factory gates, drawing thousands of supporters and further intensifying the standoff.

Persistent protests over land acquisition, led by Mamata Banerjee, eventually forced the company to pull out in October 2008 and shift the project to Sanand in Gujarat.

The Singur movement profoundly influenced West Bengal’s politics by elevating Mamata Banerjee to prominence, as her fierce opposition to land acquisition resonated with rural voters and led her party, the TMC, to secure 19 seats in the 2009 general elections, up from just one in 2004.

It ultimately enabled her to end over three decades of Left Front rule in 2011 and solidify her reputation as a champion for West Bengal’s marginalised and rural communities.

After coming to power in 2011, the Mamata Banerjee government moved to return land acquired for the Nano project to farmers, with police reclaiming the site overnight. Tata Motors contested the decision, triggering a legal battle that ended in 2016 when the Supreme Court directed that the land be restored to its original owners, after which the deserted factory was demolished.

With PM Modi expected to hold a public meeting in Singur, the party is hopeful of making a similar political impact.