The issue of daily wages for tea garden workers has emerged as a key political flashpoint in the Alipurduar district, with both the BJP and Trinamool Congress sharpening their campaigns to woo voters in the region’s tea belt.
The BJP has begun highlighting the Assam government’s decision to hike tea garden wages by ₹30, raising the daily wage for tea workers to ₹280 from April 1. The BJP has been in power in Assam since 2016.
In Trinamool-ruled Bengal, tea workers currently receive ₹250 a day.
Leaders of BJP-affiliated trade unions are actively raising the issue during campaign tours across the district, seeking to consolidate support among tea garden workers.
In north Bengal, tea workers and their families decide the results of 10 to 12 Assembly elections. In 2021, the BJP had won most of the seats.
In response, Trinamool leaders are countering the BJP’s narrative by pointing to a range of welfare schemes introduced by the Mamata Banerjee government for tea garden residents.
During a visit to Alipurduar in January, Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had announced that if the party returns to power, the daily wage for tea garden workers would be increased to ₹300.
Leaders of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union say they are banking on social welfare initiatives to offset the BJP’s wage plank.
“These schemes have directly benefited tea garden workers and their families. We will highlight each of these initiatives during our campaign,” said Nakul Sonar, the chairman of the union.
Among the schemes cited are distribution of land pattas along with financial assistance for house construction, crèche facilities for workers’ children, health centres, school bus services, and drinking water supply projects. More buses and health facilities are in the pipeline, Trinamool leaders said.
The BJP, however, remains focused on the wage disparity between Assam and Bengal.
“Workers are concerned about wages above all else. They know that in Assam, workers will get ₹280 per day from April 1, which is ₹30 more than in Bengal. The state government has still not fixed the minimum wage. People have already decided to bring change (in the state government),” claimed Manoj Tigga, BJP MP from Alipurduar.
The BJP has made significant gains in the district over the past decade. It won the Madarihat Assembly seat in 2016, the Alipurduar Lok Sabha seat in 2019, swept all five Assembly segments in the district in 2021, and retained the Lok Sabha seat in 2024, albeit with a reduced margin.
Trinamool leaders, however, argue that despite repeated electoral victories, the BJP-led Centre has failed to deliver for tea garden workers.
They also pointed out that although the Centre had allocated ₹1,000 crore in the 2022–23 budget for tea garden workers in Assam and Bengal, funds meant for Bengal are yet to be disbursed.
Another unresolved issue frequently raised by Trinamool is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2016 announcement in Birpara to take over six closed tea gardens of the Duncan group, a promise they say remains unfulfilled.