WHEN THE SAFFRON GOES MARCHING IN

Pramod Giri, HT, 29 Aug 2016, Kolkata: Will the BJP emerge as an alternative political force in the tea garden belt of Dooars in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts? 
If the results of 2016 Assembly election are any indicator, the saffron party riding piggyback on local political parties and groups pursuing identity politics has been able to set its feet in the tea garden belt. This is bound to ring the alarm bell for the CPI(M), RSP and the Congress, who have traditionally enjoyed this support-base since ages.

The presence of BJP is increasing in the tea garden belt of Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts Will the BJP emerge as an alternative political force in the tea garden belt of Dooars in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts?

The fact that the Congress-Left Front alliance failed to win even a single of the five Assembly seats predominantly dominated by tea garden workers in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts and the rise in the share of BJP’s votes is an indicator that the political equations is rapidly changing in the tea growing area that often makes news for malnutrition-related deaths and closures of gardens. Dooars, the land of tea, forest and rich cultural heritage, inhabited by the Adivasis, Gorkhas and other communities was always considered as the weakest link for the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The domination of the trade union movement by the Left parties and the Congress always reaped rich election dividends for them. However, the rise of Gorkhaland movement since 2007 changed the equations as the identity politics started occupying centre-stage while class struggle took a backstage.

Despite its spectacular victory in the 2011 Assembly election in the state, the TMC failed to penetrate the tea belt of North Bengal. Different factions of the trade unions affiliated with the TMC and lack of unified leadership proved costly for the TMC in the 2011 election. However, five years later the TMC won four of the five Assembly seats dominated by tea gardens.

For Opposition trade union leaders, the development is a matter of serious concern. The fact that the TMC emerged victorious despite successful united Opposition trade union movement – the joint forum of trade unions of Opposition parties compelled the State government to agree to form a minimum wage committee for the tea industry in the state – needs to be looked into seriously, said Mani Kumar Darnal, a senior leader of National Union of Plantation Workers (NUPW) affiliated to the INTUC of the Congress. Darnal said, “The rise of the BJP is the main reason why the Left FrontCongress alliance was defeated in the tea belt.” He said, “The Left Front and the Congress only targeted the TMC while we never took the BJP seriously in the tea garden belt.”

The BJP won the Madarihat Assembly seat by a margin of 22,038 votes while successfully garnering large percentage of votes in seats like Nagrakata, Malbazar, Kalchini, Kumargram – all won by the TMC. In 2011, Madarihat and Kumargram seats were won by the RSP, Malbazar by the CPI(M), Nagrakata by the Congress and Kalchini by Independent-backed by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM).

Gobinda Pradhan, the chief coordinator of the Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (DTDPLU) in the Dooars, said, “Despite factionalism, the TMC was able to set its house in order and launched effective election campaign.” The DTDPLU is affiliated with the GJM. Pradhan accepted the popularity of the GJM is in the wane in the Dooars and the defeat of the BJP candidate at Kalchini was an indicator. The GJM had backed the BJP candidate at Kalchini, last time won by an Independent-backed by the GJM.

TMC MLA from Alipurduar Sourav Chakraborty said, “The only reason why the TMC won four of the five tea garden seats is the developments carried out by the State government.”

The state government’s progarmmes like Sabuj Sathi, Kanyashree and relief measures for the workers and dependents of closed, sick and abandoned tea gardens were appreciated by the people, said Sourav Chakraborty, who is also the president of TMC’s Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar district committees.

Ziaul Alam, the main face of the joint forum of trade unions and who is the CITU Jalpaiguri district committee secretary, said, “The Left Front-Congress alliance failed to address the problems of 40 to 45 percent of voters who are not tea garden workers.” Though we successfully highlighted the achievements of joint trade union movement among the tea garden voters, we failed to address the problems of non-tea garden workers,” Alam explained.

Alam said the BJP is propagating caste-based and identity politics to reap election dividends. But Alam does not see the saffron party as an emerging force. “The votes which the BJP got this time from the tea garden belts were the accumulation of votes of the supporters of GJM and Akhil Bhartiya Adivasi Vikash Parishad which will get nullified in long run.” said Alam. He added the percentage of votes the BJP got in last Assembly polls is less than what it got in 2014 Lok Sabha election.

However, the BJP leaders are excited. Ganga Prasad Sharma, the BJP Alipurduar district president said, “The BJP’s sun will rise in Bengal from North Bengal. The commitment of the BJP government in New Delhi to solve the crisis in tea gardens and the Centre’s development schemes helped us to win Madarihat seat and perform well in other seats.”

The BJP will soon intensify its trade union movement, Sharma said. The BJP believes that the way the tea garden workers and their families are migrating in search of alternative livelihoods is a conspiracy to encourage the settlement of Bangladeshi migrants in tea garden belt, Sharma said.

“The happiness of tea garden workers has been snatched away by the successive governments in the State,” Sharma said. The Centre’s bid to acquire seven of the 14 tea gardens owned by the Duncans is an example of the determination and commitment of the BJP to provide succor to more than three lakh tea garden workers in North Bengal,” said Sharma.

“The tours of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders to North Bengal and the work of BJP MP SS Ahluwalia will pay dividends in the long run,” said a local BJP leader.

The Centre’s bid to acquire the seven gardens all located under Madarihat Assembly constituency in Alipurduar district really helped the BJP to win the Madarihat seat and secured second position in Kalchini seat.

“The show has just started and we pledge to work hard to raid the TMC’s strongholds from the North parts of West Bengal,” said Ganga Prasad Sharma.

TEA TRUTHS

• Total number of tea gardens in North Bengal (Dooars, Terai and Darjeeling Hills): 283 
• Total number of workers: 3.5 lakh 
• Number of Assembly seats in tea garden belt of North Bengal: 15 
• Number of closed and distressed tea gardens: 41 
• Total number of malnutrition deaths (unofficial) in last one year: 120 
• Number of tea gardens in the Dooars under Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts: 154 
• Number of tea garden in Terai region of Darjeeling district: 42 
• Number of tea gardens in Darjeeling Hills: 87 
• Tea gardens in Terai and Dooars produce 216 million kg tea annually 
• Tea gardens in Darjeeling Hills produce about 10 million kg annually. 
• The tea industry is the highest source of revenue or the governments from the region. 
• As on April 30, 2016, eight tea gardens were closed or abandoned in addition to 14 crisis-riddled tea gardens owned by the Duncans. 
• The closed tea gardens are Red Bank, Surendra Nagar, Dharanipur, Dekhlapara, Bandapani, Madhu, Panighata and Rahimabad. 
• Centre plans to take over the tea estates of Birpara, Garganda, Lankapara, Tulsipara, Huntapara, Dhumchipara and Demdima.