Joint Effort of Centre and State Needed to Resolve Tea Workers' Crisis: State BJP President

SNS, Siliguri, 20 July, 2025 : The ongoing crisis faced by tea garden workers in North Bengal calls for a coordinated effort between the Central and State Governments, said state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya. He accused the ruling Trinamul Congress (TMC) of using the plight of tea workers for political sloganeering while depriving them of genuine welfare.

Speaking to the media in Kolkata yesterday during the announcement of the party’s Uttarkanya Cholo Abhiyan, Bhattacharya said, “The tea garden crisis is one of the key issues behind our Uttarkanya march, scheduled to be held in Siliguri on 21 July.” He further stated, “Three generations of tea garden workers are now being forced to migrate to other states in search of livelihoods. This reflects the scale of neglect and suffering.”

Bhattacharya also alleged that, in the name of promoting tourism, tea estates are being converted into commercial properties such as luxury resorts, leading to ecological destruction. “What we are witnessing is not development, but systematic environmental degradation under the Trinamul regime in North Bengal,” he added.

Significantly, Bhattacharya has decided to take the matter up with the Central Government. Addressing a BJP programme in Siliguri on July 16, he announced that he, along with three BJP MPs from the tea belt, would soon meet Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to raise concerns regarding the tea industry and seek urgent intervention.

According to Bhattacharya, the delegation will include Alipurduar MP Manoj Jalpaiguri MP Dr. Jayanta Roy, Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, and himself.