TMC tea protest near Bista home

Since last month, Mamata Banerjee’s party has been organising such protests in front of the houses of BJP lawmakers

Raju Bista: File picture

TT Correspondent   |   Siliguri   |   05.02.23  :  Over 100 Trinamul supporters and tea workers held a daylong protest near the home of Raju Bista, the BJP MP of Darjeeling, on Siliguri’s outskirts on Saturday.

Since last month, Mamata Banerjee’s party has been organising such protests in front of the houses of BJP lawmakers, accusing them of silence on provident fund dues and funds no-show.

State INTTUC president Ritabrata Banerjee and district leaders reached Bista’s house with placards and accused the Narendra Modi government of ignoring tea workers.

“Hundreds of tea workers are deprived of provident fund. The Centre is not doing anything, BJP MPs from north Bengal tea belts are mum,” Banerjee said.

He said that in 2021, the Union finance minister announced an allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for uplift of women and children in tea estates, but “not a penny of reached north Bengal”. 

Bista, who wasn’t at home during the protest,  accused Trinamul of misleading tea workers. “The state government has not yet given land rights to tea workers. Also, PF authorities have filed FIRs against tea firms for defaulting on payments,” he said.