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West Bengal BJP Chief Shamik Bhattacharya vows Tata will return, calls Singur exit shameful, links pledge to BJPs 100 day industrial revival plan and business friendly reforms
Samik Bhattacharya promised business-friendly reforms, stronger MSME policies, infrastructure development, and support for emerging sectors like data centres
West Bengal BJP Chief Shamik Bhattacharya confidently announced that “Tata will return to the state”, terming the historic departure of Tata Industries a “shameful” event that conveyed wrong message to the country and expressed regret over the controversial Singur episode.
This comes amid BJP’s newly launched 100-day plan to revive West Bengal’s industrial sector and attract fresh investments.
Speaking at a chamber of commerce event, Bhattacharya promised business-friendly reforms, stronger MSME policies, infrastructure development, and support for emerging sectors like data centres.
A Look At Tata’s History In West Bengal
Tata Motors stopped its Nano car project in Singur, West Bengal, in October 2008. The decision was driven by widespread, violent political protests and agitations led by Mamata Banerjee against the CPIM government’s “forcible acquisition” of multi-crop agricultural land for the factory.
Following the pullout, Tata Motors relocated the Nano manufacturing project to Sanand, Gujarat, where the state government provided land and full support, allowing the factory to be operational by 2010.
Tata’s departure from Bengal and the subsequent dismantling of the near-complete factory sent shockwaves through corporate India, creating an enduring perception of policy uncertainty and resistance to large-scale industrial projects in the state. Nearly two decades later, the BJP is seeking to recast the same site from a symbol of industry’s exit into a showcase of its return.
What Tata Did Next?
Tata successfully built the Sanand plant, rolling out the first Nano cars. However, the Nano project faced market challenges, and Tata Motors eventually discontinued the car in 2018. The Sanand facility was then successfully repurposed to manufacture other popular models like the Tiago and Tigor.
In 2023, an arbitral tribunal awarded Tata Motors Rs 766 crore in compensation from the West Bengal government for the losses incurred from the abandoned Singur plant.
The Singur movement catapulted Mamata Banerjee to power, ending the 34-year rule of the Left Front government in 2011. The land was later returned to the farmers following a Supreme Court ruling in 2016.
West Bengal, India, India
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