Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday criticised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the exit of Tata Motors from its Nano car plant in Singur in 2008 and claimed that the company left the state due to her "violent movements" as an opposition leader at that time.
Adhikari, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, vowed to revive industries in West Bengal if the BJP is voted to power.
During the day, Adhikari took out a silent march in Singur with a portrait of Ratan Tata, the late industrialist who announced the withdrawal of the project from the nearly completed small car plant ahead of Durga Puja in October 2008.
“Ratan Tata and former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya were keen in their efforts to set up a Nano car plant in the state. But Mamata Banerjee, because of her narrow political interests, drove Tatas out of the state. There were some administrative failures on the part of the then Left Front government. But TMC’s violent agitation to drive out Tatas and efforts to mislead farmers were in no way acceptable,” Adhikari said.
The BJP leader touched upon the issues related to the "lack of industries" in the state and blamed Banerjee for ruining the prospects of industrialisation in West Bengal by driving out the Tatas from Singur as an opposition leader.
"Mamata Banerjee has destroyed the prospects of industrialisation of West Bengal as she forced Tatas out of the state. The TMC destroyed the future of the youths to reap political dividends. Because of the Singur agitation, not a single major industrial unit has come up in the state during the 13-rule of the TMC," he said.
Adhikari, who was once a political confidant of Banerjee, clarified that his opposition was not to industry itself but to the land acquisition policies of the then CPI(M)-led Left Front government.
The TMC accused Adhikari of having "double standards" as he was then very much part of the anti-land acquisition movement as a close lieutenant of Banerjee.
"The people of the state know the truth. They can't be misguided. Why is Suvendu Adhikari now saying such things? Why was he silent when he was in the Trinamool Congress and derived benefits from the party? He, too, was part of the anti-land acquisition movement," TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said.
Banerjee led the movements against the erstwhile Left Front government's acquisition of arable land in Nandigram and Singur for industrialisation.
Adhikari was then her trusted lieutenant in Nandigram.
He had joined the BJP in December 2020, just months ahead of the 2021 assembly polls.
Singur — once known for multiple crop farming — hogged the limelight after Tata Motors set its sights on the area to build its cheapest car manufacturing unit in 2006.
The Left Front government had acquired 997.11 acres along National Highway 2 and handed it over to the company.
The land Acquisition process for the Nano plant triggered widespread unrest as many farmers accepted compensation while others resisted, fearing the loss of their livelihoods.
Banerjee rallied behind the farmers, demanding the return of 400 acres to those who had not willingly sold their land, a move that significantly bolstered her political standing after her setback in the 2006 assembly polls.
Despite attempts at mediation by then Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, the deadlock continued, leading to the exit of Tatas and marking a pivotal moment in West Bengal's political and industrial landscape.
Even after 16 years, Singur's legacy is viewed as a tale of missed opportunities and enduring conflict.
Late industrialist Ratan Tata had then stated Banerjee's anti-land acquisition agitation as the primary reason for the decision, which he described as “painful”.
At a press conference at the time, he famously remarked, “I think Ms. Banerjee has pulled the trigger,” underscoring the political tensions surrounding the issue.
Ratan Tata passed away in Mumbai earlier this month at the age of 86.
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