Nearly two decades after Singur transformed the political landscape of West Bengal, the small agrarian town is once again at the centre of a fierce political battle. This time, the dispute is not over a factory that came up, but over one that never did — Tata Motors’ Nano car plant. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s planned rally in Singur on January 18 has revived memories of that aborted project and the mass agitation that followed, an episode that propelled Mamata Banerjee to power and reshaped Bengal’s politics for a generation.

The symbolism of Modi addressing a rally in Singur is unmistakable. The fertile plains where protests against land acquisition once echoed are now being used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to mount a direct challenge to Banerjee’s political identity. What was once the foundation of her rise — resistance to forced industrialisation — is being reframed by the BJP as evidence of long-term “de-industrialisation” under her rule.

In 2006, the then Left Front government led by Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee decided to acquire nearly 1,000 acres of farmland in Singur for Tata Motors’ ambitious Nano project, pitched as the world’s cheapest car. The move triggered intense opposition from farmers who feared loss of livelihood and inadequate compensation. Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress (TMC) spearheaded the agitation, turning Singur into a rallying point against the Left’s industrial policy.

The protests ultimately forced Tata Motors to abandon the project. In 2008, Ratan Tata announced the company’s exit from Singur, saying he could not operate “with a gun to his head”. Five years later, Banerjee rode the wave of anti-incumbency, powered in part by Singur and Nandigram, to unseat the Left Front after 34 uninterrupted years in power — the longest-serving democratically elected communist government in the world.

Today, skeletal remains of the abandoned factory still stand at Singur, a stark reminder of a turning point in Bengal’s political history. The BJP now seeks to turn that reminder into a weapon.

For months, the party has been sharpening its attack on the TMC by portraying West Bengal as an “industrial graveyard”. Recently, the BJP released a booklet titled West Bengal: Industrialisation Graveyard, with Singur featured prominently as a symbol of what it claims is the state’s economic decline under Banerjee’s leadership. Modi’s rally is expected to amplify this narrative, contrasting what the BJP calls Bengal’s “politics of agitation” with the “development-first” model it associates with Modi’s governance.

For Modi, the Singur rally is also deeply personal and political. When Tata Motors pulled out of Bengal, Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat. He moved swiftly to court the company, reportedly sending a one-word SMS to Ratan Tata: “Welcome.” Within days, Gujarat offered land at Sanand, along with quick clearances and administrative support. The Nano project was relocated there, and production began in 2010.

That episode became a cornerstone of Modi’s pro-industry image. During his 2014 national campaign, the “Sanand gain” was repeatedly cited as proof of his ability to attract investment and deliver results where others had faltered. Now, as Prime Minister, Modi is returning to the place where that contrast was first drawn — Singur itself — to argue that he can “re-industrialise” West Bengal if given the opportunity.

Ironically, the Nano itself has long faded from the market. Production of the model stopped around seven years ago after it failed to live up to commercial expectations. While there has been speculation about a possible Tata Nano electric vehicle, no official announcement has been made. Yet, politically, the Nano remains very much alive — a ghost haunting Bengal’s electoral battlefield.

For Mamata Banerjee, Modi’s Singur rally represents a direct assault on her core political narrative. Her iconic slogan, “Maa, Mati, Manush” (Mother, Land, People), was forged in the crucible of Singur and Nandigram. It positioned her as a protector of farmers and the rural poor against what she portrayed as an uncaring, industrial-first state.

Since coming to power, Banerjee has made sustained efforts to shed the label of being “anti-industry”. The Bengal Global Business Summit (BGBS), held multiple times under her leadership, has been her flagship platform to project the state as investment-friendly. The TMC claims these summits have attracted significant investment commitments. The BJP, however, has dismissed them as cosmetic exercises, branding them a “flop show” that has failed to translate into large-scale industrial revival.

Adding to Banerjee’s political discomfort is the role reversal of Suvendu Adhikari, now the Leader of the Opposition. Once a close aide of Banerjee and a key figure in the Singur and Nandigram movements, Adhikari has since defected to the BJP. He now describes the Singur agitation as a “mistake” that paved the way for what he calls a “corrupt, dynastic” regime.

“We have not been able to usher in real change for the people,” Adhikari has said, promising that if the BJP comes to power in the 2026 assembly elections, it will ensure that industrialists “return” to West Bengal. His presence at the forefront of the BJP’s Singur campaign adds another layer of political irony to the moment.

As the state heads towards assembly elections due by March–April 2026, the Singur narrative is merging with broader themes shaping the contest. The BJP is framing the election as a battle between development and stagnation, while the TMC is positioning it as a fight to protect Bengal’s dignity from “outsiders”.

TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has accused the BJP leadership of being “zamindars of Delhi” who want to “snatch the dignity” of Bengal’s people. In a symbolic protest, TMC activists have even been seen “purifying” BJP rally sites with water, attempting to cleanse them of what they call external political influence.

Tensions between the Centre and the state have further intensified in recent weeks. The TMC and BJP clashed over an Enforcement Directorate raid on the Kolkata premises of political consultancy I-PAC, which is working with the TMC for the elections. Mamata Banerjee termed the raid a “theft” of her party’s data, alleging political vendetta. The matter has since reached the Supreme Court.

Another flashpoint is the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter rolls. The TMC has accused the Election Commission of acting at the BJP’s behest, while the BJP alleges that Banerjee wants illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingya Muslims to remain on the electoral rolls.

Against this charged backdrop, Modi’s rally in Singur is more than just another campaign event. It is a deliberate attempt to reopen an old chapter of Bengal’s history and reinterpret it for a new political moment. By invoking Singur and the ghost of the Nano, the BJP hopes to turn Mamata Banerjee’s greatest political triumph into her biggest vulnerability — and to argue that the choices made two decades ago are still holding West Bengal back today.