Chief minister Mamata Banerjee inaugurated and launched a slew of development projects worth around ₹700 crore in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts and in the Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district on Tuesday.

Mamata spoke of the state’s holistic approach in reaching out to people of different communities, ranging from the tea garden population to the Rajbanshis who form a considerable portion of the vote bank in the three districts.

“We work for all communities and want peace to prevail across the state. Let us be clear that along with the NB (north Bengal) development department, funds from several other state departments are allocated for projects in north Bengal,” Mamata said at a public service distribution programme organised near Uttarkanya in Siliguri.

“Ahead of the elections, they (BJP) say they will reopen tea estates. But they have failed to reopen even a single tea garden. We have, on the other hand, reopened eight tea estates in Alipurduar and seven gardens in Jalpaiguri in recent months. So far, we have reopened as many as 59 tea estates,” said Mamata.

She also referred to the state government’s decision to provide land rights and free houses to tea garden workers. “Even today, houses were handed over to the tea workers. Also, work is in progress to build crèches in tea gardens where women workers can keep their children,” the chief minister added.

In north Bengal, the state government has provided identity cards to 2.38 lakh tea workers, she said.

The chief minister emphasised the initiatives taken for the Rajbanshi population, whose support matters in at least 20 Assembly seats.

The initiatives included the recognition of language, and establishment of language academies, development boards, and Rajbanshi medium schools.

“We have built a university in the name of Panchanan Barma, and a second campus is coming up in his birthplace. The Narayani battalion of the state police has been constituted (in the name of the royal troops of erstwhile princely state of Cooch Behar),” said Mamata.

The chief minister referred to an important demand of the tribal community, the recognition of Sari or Sarna as a religious code. In north Bengal, thousands of tribal people live in the tea belt. “We got a motion passed in the Assembly and want the recognition,” she said.