Singur, West Bengal, January 18, 2026: Nearly two decades after Singur became the epicentre of a political upheaval that reshaped West Bengal’s political landscape, the town is once again in the spotlight, this time as the stage for a high-stakes confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC). On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the site of the abandoned Tata Nano factory, using it as a backdrop to call for “real change” — or ‘asol poriborton’ — a clear attempt to counter the legacy of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s 2011 campaign slogan of “poriborton”, which had symbolised transformation and change in the state.
Singur: From 2006 Agitation to 2026 Political Symbol
The story of Singur is inseparable from Bengal’s political history over the last two decades. In 2006, the Left Front government, then in power for over three decades, attempted to acquire nearly 1,000 acres of farmland in Singur for Tata Motors’ Nano car project. The move sparked fierce resistance from local farmers, galvanised by Mamata Banerjee, who would later form the TMC and lead it to victory in the 2011 assembly elections. The abandoned Nano factory, which never came to fruition, became a symbol of TMC’s rise, representing the party’s narrative of “change” against a stagnant Left Front regime.
For the BJP, however, Singur has long represented a contrasting narrative. Prime Minister Modi often references the incident to highlight a pro-business and pro-investment approach. As Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time, Modi had acted swiftly to relocate the Nano project to Sanand, turning it into a flagship example of rapid industrial facilitation. That episode later became a pillar of his national campaign, illustrating his model of governance as decisive and investor-friendly.
PM Modi’s Appeal for ‘Real Change’
During his rally in Singur, PM Modi framed the upcoming assembly elections as a choice between good governance and “maha jungle raj”, a phrase he used to critique the TMC’s three-term incumbency. Modi avoided directly naming the TMC’s past failures but repeatedly stressed the need for “real change” in West Bengal, positioning it against the TMC’s earlier promise of poriborton.
In a move meant to bolster his pro-development narrative, Modi inaugurated infrastructure projects worth ₹830 crore, including new Amrit Bharat Express trains, signaling his government’s commitment to industrial and infrastructural growth. These initiatives, he argued, were designed to restore investor confidence in a state he described as having become an “industrial graveyard” under TMC rule.
The Political Symbolism of Nano
Although the Tata Nano itself ceased production years ago, its departure from West Bengal continues to serve as a potent political symbol. Modi used the event to argue that industrial stagnation and bureaucratic obstruction have hampered economic development under the TMC, contrasting this with his own record of rapid industrialisation. The narrative is carefully constructed to remind voters that the state’s missed economic opportunities in the mid-2000s have had long-term consequences for jobs, investment, and local industries.
The TMC, predictably, responded aggressively. State president Joy Prakash Majumdar accused the BJP of attempting to impose “Delhi zamindars” on Bengal, framing Modi’s industrial pitch as a political intrusion into the state’s autonomy. The party also dismissed BJP claims regarding voter rolls, calling them “misinformation” aimed at discrediting TMC’s governance record.
Cultural and Security Narrative
Beyond industrial development, PM Modi also addressed issues of law and order, border security, and illegal migration, themes that have become central to the BJP’s political discourse in West Bengal. He accused the TMC of protecting infiltrators, delaying border fencing, and obstructing central welfare schemes, framing these as failures in governance that compromise both national security and citizen welfare.
In addition, Modi sought to neutralise the TMC’s outsider narrative, which Mamata had used effectively in the 2021 elections. He highlighted India’s cultural heritage, citing the establishment of Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue at Kartavya Path in Delhi and the recognition of Bangla as a classical language, linking national pride to state identity while appealing to voters’ sense of history and culture.
Left Perspective
The CPI-M, once the dominant political force in Bengal, continues to play a smaller but vocal role. Party leaders, such as Sujan Chakraborty, suggested that the BJP and TMC are “two sides of the same coin” in the Singur narrative. Chakraborty reminded voters that the BJP had historically benefited from the Tata Nano relocation while ostensibly supporting industrial expansion, implying a level of complicity with previous setbacks in the state’s industrial development.
Despite CPI-M’s decline, it continues to insert itself into the historical narrative, arguing that both parties have manipulated industrial projects like the Nano factory for political gain rather than economic benefit.
Electoral Implications
The 2026 West Bengal assembly elections are less than three months away, and the contest promises to be intense. While the BJP has significantly increased its footprint in the state in recent elections, the TMC has maintained a strong base, winning the majority of seats in 2021.
PM Modi’s Singur visit and “asol poriborton” pitch aim to leverage nostalgia, economic anxiety, and cultural pride to sway undecided voters, particularly in regions that once witnessed large-scale industrial projects being stalled or abandoned. By invoking Singur, the BJP seeks to recast a historical episode as a symbol of TMC mismanagement, positioning itself as the party capable of delivering both governance and industrial revival.
Meanwhile, the TMC is expected to double down on its core narrative of defending local identity and autonomy, portraying the BJP as an external force attempting to impose policies on Bengal that may not align with local aspirations.
Conclusion
Singur, once a flashpoint in the 2006 Tata Nano controversy, has resurfaced as a political symbol in the 2026 West Bengal elections. For PM Modi, it represents a larger narrative of pro-development governance, investor confidence, and industrial revival. For Mamata Banerjee and the TMC, it continues to embody a legacy of resistance and local empowerment, central to their claim of transformative governance since 2011.
As the elections draw near, the battle over historical memory, industrial growth, and political symbolism in places like Singur is likely to shape campaign narratives, influencing not just local constituencies but the broader ideological discourse in West Bengal. The next few months will reveal whether voters respond to calls for “real change” or continue to support the narrative of “poriborton” established nearly two decades ago.
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