New Hill party to work on tea garden issues

SNS, DARJEELING. 27 NOVEMBER 2020 : A new polttical party based in Sonada in Darjeeling was announced today, with its main agenda being looking for solutions to different problems plaguing tea gardens in the hills and the plains.

Christened the Rashtriya Gorkha Adivasi Morcha (RAGAM), the formation of the political outfit was announced in a press conference here.

The president of the new party, Amrit Singh Sinchuri, said, "There are a lot of problems in the tea gardens of the Hills, Terai and Dooars. Many Gorkhas and Adivasis are working in these tea gardens.We have opened this new party to take up their issues to the right platform. We will work towards finding solutions for them."

According to the BAGAM general secretary, Pranai Sherpa, some of the main issues they would work for include minimum wages for tea garden workers and also land ownership for them. "We will be a voice for those working in tea gardens," Mr Sherpa said.

According to Mr Sinchuri, the need to form a political party to address the issues of tea gardens arose from the fact that some demands could not be fulfilled by social organizations. He also said that they would work with all political parties for these issues.

According to him, nothing has been, however, decided on the upcoming Assembly elections, with a decision on the same to be taken after their executive committee is formed.