A tale of two Indian cities: How Singur's loss became Sanand's gain

This Saturday, Micron Technology, the world's fifth-largest semiconductor company, will commence the groundbreaking ceremony in Sanand

In October 2008, facing a public protest led by the then West Bengal opposition leader Mamata Banerjee against land acquisition, Tata Motors chose to withdraw its Nano small car project from Singur and move it to Sanand, a new industrial estate in Gujarat not far from Ahmedabad.

Here, the then chief minister Narendra Modi presented Tata Motors with appealing incentives and it became the anchor investor in the nascent industrial town.

Banerjee’s agitation propelled her into the political mainstream of the state, aiding her ascent to the position of chief minister in a state that used to be a CPI(M)