Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a mega rally in Singur, West Bengal, on Sunday, vowing to boost the state's growth journey. The rally, held in Hooghly district, is significant due to Singur's historical context as the site of the abandoned Tata Nano project. The choice of Singur as the venue underscores the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) focus on reviving West Bengal's industrial prospects and aims to sharpen its campaign against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC).

Modi highlighted the importance of West Bengal in India's economic development, promising to transform the state into a hub of industry, investment, and employment. He criticized previous administrations for what he described as "regressive politics" that hindered the state's progress. The Prime Minister asserted that West Bengal will not have to send its youth outside the state for employment as West Bengal will again be the state of industrialization and employment. Modi emphasized the need for a comprehensive land policy to attract heavy industry, retain talent, and curb brain drain and forced migration.

The rally at Singur is strategically important for the BJP, as it seeks to project an "industry-friendly" image ahead of the upcoming West Bengal Assembly elections. The BJP aims to capitalize on the perception that West Bengal has struggled to attract large investments since Tata Motors' exit in 2008. The Singur Nano project was initiated by the then CPI(M)-led Left Front government in 2006 but was abandoned due to protests led by Mamata Banerjee.

During his two-day visit to West Bengal, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple rail and road infrastructure projects worth over Rs 3,250 crore. These projects include the Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati. In Singur, he inaugurated, laid the foundation stone for, and flagged off development projects worth approximately Rs 830 crore.

Earlier, at a rally in Malda, Modi raised concerns about cross-border infiltration and claimed that "illegal migration" has altered the demography of West Bengal. He assured refugees that they have nothing to worry about. Modi also addressed the plight of mango and silk farmers in Malda, as well as erosion caused by the Ganga and Fulahar rivers.

The TMC, however, maintains that Bengal's industrial health remains robust. The government claims the state ranks among the top in company registrations and recorded an average profit growth of 546 per cent per factory between 2011 and 2024.

The Singur rally underscores the BJP's strategy to target TMC's "failed" industrialization bid by invoking the spectre of Tata's scrapped Nano project. The rally is seen as the opening salvo of the BJP's 2026 Assembly campaign, projecting Singur as a symbol of missed opportunities under successive regimes.