Where Buddhadeb and his team erred is in not realising the sensitivity of the issue. The initial refusal to share information on vital aspects like compensation, rehabilitation and the project details only fuelled suspicion about the deal and spurred opposition to it. The government's refusal to even consider alternate plots of fallow or mono-crop land (land on which only one crop is cultivated in a year) and leave out the fertile, multi-crop land it was acquiring outraged even moderates who had no qualms about private investments.
The CM dismissed all voices of protest as "forces opposed to Bengal's growth"—that only served to bare his adamant and headstrong streak. To top it, his government's assertion that all land in Singur was mono-crop and fallow—despite evidence and media reports to the contrary—portrayed the government in very poor light. It was, thus, only natural for Mamata, who was reeling under a devastating poll setback, to make Singur a hot political issue and hit back.
The CM now has no choice but to stay the course on Singur, say his aides. Having committed himself to handing over the land to the Tatas and having made it a prestige issue, even redrawing the boundaries of the vast Singur plots to be acquired (to leave out the fertile land) would amount to a personal blow. But the wrong signals, which the CM is apprehensive about sending to potential investors, may have gone out already. Tougher battles await the acquisition of land needed for the host of private projects on the drawing board in Bengal.
