Political ploys that are too predictable fail to click. Ms Mamata Banerjee’s brand of politics has long been made of the same, old stuff of street theatre. There is thus no element of surprise in her call for a Bengal bandh next month. There were enough hints that her opposition to the Tata group’s proposed automobile project at Singur would culminate in another shutdown call. The bandh call now proves that her recent attempt to project a different image of herself to Bengal’s entrepreneurs was only half-hearted. It shows that she remains as obsessed with obstructionist politics as ever. That such politics led to her party’s humiliating defeat in the May elections apparently makes no difference to her. It also appears to be of no concern to her that Bengal’s industrialization would suffer a huge setback if the Tatas are forced to shelve or delay the project. Just as it could open the floodgates of a whole new range of industrial and commercial enterprises in the state, the project’s failure could stall many other investment proposals. But, the state’s — or even the farmers’ — interests do not seem to have inspired Ms Banerjee’s agitation plans. She clearly sees in the Singur episode an opportunity to try and recover some of her lost political space.

All this is not to suggest that the political parties, especially those in the opposition, have no role in the implementation of the new development projects. In fact, they can play a crucial role. Most of the projects would involve the use of agricultural land for new industries or even commercial enterprises. More importantly, these would lead to the displacement of large numbers of people from their land and livelihoods. Obviously, no economy can survive, let alone prosper, simply on agriculture. At the same time, economic growth makes little sense to the common people if it does not touch and change their lives. The parties have a role to ensure that the displaced not only get adequate compensation for their land but also find their places in the new economic activities. This precisely was the message that Ms Sonia Gandhi sought to convey about the agriculture-versus-industry debate at the Congress conclave in Nainital. Her message underscores the need for a national policy on the subject because industrialization and the need to acquire farm land for industrial uses have become a major policy issue not just in Bengal but in many other states as well.