Adhir tea plea to Mamata - PCC chief says Cong will join TMC to seek Centre's intervention

Adhir Chowdhury in Siliguri. (Kundan Yolmo)

TT, Siliguri, Nov. 26: State Congress chief Adhir Chowdhury today said Mamata Banerjee should lead a movement in New Delhi demanding the Centre's intervention to resolve the crisis in the shut and ailing tea gardens of north Bengal and his party was ready to join it.

Chowdhury said it was the only issue where the Congress would support Trinamul and one should not see it as a hint of an alliance.

"We will organise a sit-in demonstration at Jantar Mantar in Delhi to highlight the poor condition of tea workers and their families on the shut and ailing estates. We will demand Centre's intervention to resolve the crisis," Chowdhury said at a news conference.

"We are ready to stand by Trinamul if Mamata Banerjee organises and leads a movement to mount pressure on the Centre. It is only on the issue of tea that we are ready to stand by Trinamul. There is no reason to draw any inference that this is a hint of alliance."

Chowdhury arrived in north Bengal a couple of days ago and visited few closed and ailing tea estates in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts.

"The chief minister visits Delhi and asks for waivers. But she hardly tells the Prime Minister and others about the hardships faced by tea workers and their families. She cannot evade responsibility. She needs to intervene," he said.

He said the Congress would demonstrate at the Duncan Goenka Group head office in Calcutta and submit a memorandum "stating the company's irresponsible attitude".

Today, Chowdhury also said Trinamul leader Mukul Roy wanted to join the Congress. "He came to me. I took him to Rahul Gandhi and senior party leaders in Delhi. I have clarified that I have no inhibition if he joins the Congress. As far as I know, senior leaders are mulling over his proposal."

Trinamul district president of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, Sourav Chakraborty, said Chowdhury was trying to create tension in the gardens. He said they would oppose the tea strike called by Joint Forum on December 1.

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