Subhashini Tea Estate (Alipurduar) April 18: For the first time since 1976, the Congress-affiliated National Union Plantation Workers’ flags were seen fluttering amid the tea bushes of Subhashini Tea Garden in Alipurduar.

The show of dominance was made possible after more than 500 garden labourers switched from the RSP-affiliated Dooars Cha Bagan Workers’ Union (DCBWU) to the Congress flank in a section of the garden which has so far remained a bastion of the Left Front.

The change of sides followed a similar incident at Birpara Tea Garden, 30 km from here in Birpara-Madarihat block, where nearly 500 supporters of the CPM and the RSP had defected to the Congress fed-up with the alleged arm-twisting of union leaders.

The Congress had said the “exodus” showed the pent-up emotions of the workers who regularly faced harassment at the hands of the union leaders who indulged in corruption and criminal activities.

Birpara had shot into news earlier this month, when a mob of 250 garden workers had attacked the Citu union leader of the estate and his henchmen and burned down their houses.

At the outdivision section of the Subhashini Tea Garden, where the tea bushes grow, the NUPW held a meeting today under tight security.

“Since 1976, our leaders have not been able to enter this garden because of the domination of the RSP cadre. Eight years ago, we had tried to conduct a meeting here but the DCBWU followers had blocked us,” said Pravat Mukherjee, the general secretary of the NUP.W.

“This garden has always been the strongest point of the RSP and today’s incident will definitely affect the party’s chances in the coming election,” he added.

Asked about the cause of defection, Mukherjee said: “The workers were unhappy with the way the DCBWU worked. They were tired of the corruption and harassment of the union leaders. The move to the Congress here and in Birpara proves the point. It is this anger which eventually triggers violence at the tea gardens.”

The defectors were led today by gram panchayat member of Malangi M. Mangna Oraon who had been with the RSP since 1998.

“We have been working for the Dooars Cha Bagan Workers’ Union since a long time but their leaders never care for us. This garden does not have a primary school,” said Oraon.

“The children have to walk a minimum of 2 km to get to the nearest school. The dispensary of the garden has been lying closed since the past few years and the union has done nothing to restart it, knowing fully well the workers cannot afford specialists. We do not even have electricity. The DCBWU leaders have done very little,” explained Oraon.

Pradhan said he was expecting another 600 workers from the main section of Subhashini, which houses all establishments, to join them within the course of this week.

“We have requested the police to provide security in this area for tonight and tomorrow since we believe the DCBWU could retaliate. When Dilip Oraon, the newly-elected unit secretary of the NUPW in the outdivision, told his colleagues he was joining us, they beat him up.”

Senior leaders of the DCBWU could not be contacted.

Cong councillors defect

Three Congress councillors of Haldibari municipality joined the CPM today, raising allegations of corruption and misappropriation of funds against the chairman.

The three, Subrata Bose, Amalendu Lahiri and Susmita Bose, of Ward Nos. 1, 7 and 10, had resigned from the Congress in January this year and were continuing as “independent” councillors.

They formally joined the CPM at a programme organised at Rabindra Bhavan at Haldibari today.

Gauranga Nag, the chairman of the municipality, away in Mekhliganj for the day, could not be contacted.