Tea estates root for BJP...
ANIRBAN CHOUDHURY, TT, 31 May 2019, Alipurduar: Booth-level data on the Lok Sabha elections in the tea gardens of Duncan Goenka Group in Alipurduar show that the dwellers of these estates have stuck with the BJP, banking on the Centre for a permanent solution to their problems.
In the Assembly elections of 2016, residents of all seven tea gardens of the group in the district -- abandoned by the company then -- had voted the BJP in large numbers.
This time, the Birpara, Demdima, Tulshipara, Garganda, Hantapara Dumchipara and Lankapara gardens have again backed the BJP.
In north Bengal, there are 13 gardens of Duncans group, of which 10 are in the Dooars. The company had abandoned six of them, which are in Alipurduar district, in 2015.
The company however, did not leave its gardens in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts.
As the workers and their families were caught in distress, Nirmala Sitaraman the then union minister of commerce & industry, visited two gardens of the group in January 2016. She promised help.
In the 2016 state polls, people of these gardens voted the BJP's Manoj Tigga in the Madarihat seat. However, the Centre's decision made the company to move to Calcutta High Court. As a result, the process suffered.
Later, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held talks with representatives of Duncans and managed to convince it to reopen the abandoned gardens.
"The gardens started opening but soon, there were irregularities in payment of wages and other dues. Also, one of the gardens, Demdima, closed down soon after it reopened. Also, gardens like Lankapara never reopened. This left the workers agitated as they had sought a permanent solution to their problem," said Tigga, the BJP MLA.
Trinamul leaders went on campaigning against the Centre, and accused it for not doing anything for the workers. They also highlighted the benefits that the state had extended to the workers, from food grain to healthcare.
"This seems to have boomeranged as workers and their families want new entrepreneurs to take over their gardens. It was never endorsed by Trinamul and the party went on playing the dole card," said an observer.
Another major issue, which had acted against Trinamul in these gardens and in the tea belt of north Bengal as a whole, is the delay on the part of the state in fixing the minimum wage of tea workers, opined experts.
Trinamul leaders, asked about the poll results, said they were collecting information from local levels.
"The results have indeed surprised us as BJP's trade union hardly has any base in tea gardens," said Mannalal Jain, a Trinamul leader in Birpara..
In the Assembly elections of 2016, residents of all seven tea gardens of the group in the district -- abandoned by the company then -- had voted the BJP in large numbers.
This time, the Birpara, Demdima, Tulshipara, Garganda, Hantapara Dumchipara and Lankapara gardens have again backed the BJP.
In north Bengal, there are 13 gardens of Duncans group, of which 10 are in the Dooars. The company had abandoned six of them, which are in Alipurduar district, in 2015.
The company however, did not leave its gardens in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling districts.
As the workers and their families were caught in distress, Nirmala Sitaraman the then union minister of commerce & industry, visited two gardens of the group in January 2016. She promised help.
In the 2016 state polls, people of these gardens voted the BJP's Manoj Tigga in the Madarihat seat. However, the Centre's decision made the company to move to Calcutta High Court. As a result, the process suffered.
Later, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held talks with representatives of Duncans and managed to convince it to reopen the abandoned gardens.
"The gardens started opening but soon, there were irregularities in payment of wages and other dues. Also, one of the gardens, Demdima, closed down soon after it reopened. Also, gardens like Lankapara never reopened. This left the workers agitated as they had sought a permanent solution to their problem," said Tigga, the BJP MLA.
Trinamul leaders went on campaigning against the Centre, and accused it for not doing anything for the workers. They also highlighted the benefits that the state had extended to the workers, from food grain to healthcare.
"This seems to have boomeranged as workers and their families want new entrepreneurs to take over their gardens. It was never endorsed by Trinamul and the party went on playing the dole card," said an observer.
Another major issue, which had acted against Trinamul in these gardens and in the tea belt of north Bengal as a whole, is the delay on the part of the state in fixing the minimum wage of tea workers, opined experts.
Trinamul leaders, asked about the poll results, said they were collecting information from local levels.
"The results have indeed surprised us as BJP's trade union hardly has any base in tea gardens," said Mannalal Jain, a Trinamul leader in Birpara..
0 Response to " Tea estates root for BJP... "
Post a Comment
Disclaimer Note:
The views expressed in the articles published here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position, or perspective of Kalimpong News or KalimNews. Kalimpong News and KalimNews disclaim all liability for the published or posted articles, news, and information and assume no responsibility for the accuracy or validity of the content.
Kalimpong News is a non-profit online news platform managed by KalimNews and operated under the Kalimpong Press Club.
Comment Policy:
We encourage respectful and constructive discussions. Please ensure decency while commenting and register with your email ID to participate.
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.