The Trinamool Congress leadership in Alipurduar, a district in north Bengal dotted with 64-odd tea estates, has engaged its tea trade union front Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) to drum up support for the party in the brew belt, keeping in mind the upcoming Assembly elections of 2026.
In 2021, the BJP had bagged all five Assembly seats of the district. Also, the BJP had won the sole Lok Sabha seat in 2019 and 2024.
“We launched a three-day-long drive since Monday. During the drive, our tea trade union leaders will move into the tea estates located across the district, interact with the workers to know their problems and simultaneously highlight the social welfare schemes and initiatives taken up by the state government for the tea population,” said Nakul Sonar, the chairman of the TCBSU.
Trinamool, which was upset over the Assembly poll results of 2021, had sprung into action last year when a by-election was held in the Madarihat Assembly seat. The party played the development card and managed to wrest the seat from the BJP.
“The win in the by-election has bolstered the confidence of our leaders and workers. They are actively engaging with the tea workers and their families and apprising them that the state government has done a lot for them. The central ministers and BJP leaders have made only hollow promises to draw votes,” the TMC leader added.
During the ongoing drive, the TCBSU leaders will also approach the workers to join the trade union as members. The branch committees and tea garden level units of TCBSU have been instructed to carry out an intensive membership drive in each tea estate, sources said.
“The BJP is silent over the longstanding issue of provident fund default. A section of tea companies are not depositing PF with the EPFO, a central government organisation. The Centre is silent while hundreds of workers are being deprived of their legitimate dues,” said a trade
union leader.
Political veterans in the district pointed out that in Alipurduar, the tea population decides the results of four of the five Assembly seats. Trinamool, they said, also managed to get John Barla, a former BJP MP who is known to have considerable clout in the tea belt, on board.
“TMC is determined to thwart the BJP in Alipurduar. Now that the party has John Barla, its leaders are putting all their efforts into reviving and consolidating the support base in tea estates. As the Assembly polls will draw near, such activities will surely increase,” said a political observer.
BJP leaders, however, are confident that voters in the tea belt would continue to
back them.
“Tea workers and their families have always been with us. Trinamool might put some efforts, but those will not translate into votes during the next year’s elections,” said Rajesh Barla, general secretary of the BJP-backed Bharatiya Tea Workers Union.
Meeting on garden
The joint labour commissioner of the north Bengal zone has called a tripartite meeting at his office in Siliguri on July 1 to facilitate the reopening of the Jaybirpara tea estate.
Located in the Birpara-Madarihat block of Alipurduar, the management had announced the suspension of work in the garden on Sunday, citing lawlessness and other issues. Around 450 workers in the garden turned jobless due to the decision.