Mamata Banerjee, Who Led Singur Movement Against Tata Nano Plant, Mourns Ratan Tata's Death

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday mourned the loss of Veteran industrialist and Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, describing his demise as an ‘irreparable loss for the Indian business world.’

India’s renowned business tycoon Ratan Tata died late Wednesday at the age of 86 after a brief illness. He was admitted to Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital on Monday after a sudden drop in blood pressure and was in critical condition in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Taking to X, Banerjee expressed condolences on the passing away of Ratan Tata and said, “Saddened by the demise of Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of the Tata Sons. The former Chairman of Tata Group had been a foremost leader of Indian industries and a public-spirited philanthropist. His demise will be an irreparable loss for the Indian business world and society. My condolences to all his family members and colleagues.”

When Mamata Led Movement Against Tata

Ratan Tata, 17 years ago, found himself surrounded in the middle of a protest in West Bengal that shaped TMC leader Mamata Banerjee’s political career.

The ruling Left Front-led by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had in 2006 announced a massive land acquisition for the Tata Group in Singur, to the tune of 1,000 acres, to set up the Nano car manufacturing unit.

The move which was seen as a masterstroke for boosting industrialisation in the state was marked by an agitation, led by Mamata Banerjee, who protested the land acquisition and demanded it be given back to the farmers.

However, the land acquisition process was completed, and work began on building the Nano plant, with Left Front anticipating Bengal to emerge as an industrial hub.

Banerjee then began a 26-day hunger strike that gained the support of prominent environmental activists. The movement was one of the crucial factors that allowed Banerjee to challenge the three-decade Left rule in West Bengal.

As the Banerjee-led Singur movement gained momentum, Tata Motors decided to pull the production facilities being built for Nano cars in the state. The company made its official announcement on October 3, 2008. Later, on the invitation of Narendra Modi, then Chief Minister of Gujarat, the company took the facility to Sanand in the Ahmedabad district.

What Ratan Tata Said On Bengal Exit

At a press briefing five days later of making an official announcement of exit from West Bengal, Ratan Tata said, “We have decided to move the Nano project out of West Bengal. It was an extremely painful decision, but there was no other option. There is also a great feeling that we are doing the right thing.”

He cited the main reason behind the move as Banerjee’s Singur movement, and said, “You cannot run a plant with police protection. We cannot run a plant with walls broken. We cannot run a project with bombs thrown. We cannot run a plant with people intimidated.”

Tata Motors secured a major victory in the Singur plant case last year as the company secured an arbitral award of Rs 766 crore. It was granted to them as compensation for losses related to the abandoned Nano manufacturing unit.