The tea gardens of West Bengal are set for a fierce battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections. With tea garden labourers facing challenges due to shutdowns, it will be interesting to see which way they vote. While the BJP has fielded MLA Manoj Tigga from Alipurduar, TMC has given a ticket to Prakash Chik Baraik, who is said to be a popular name in the tea gardens.
There are more than 300 tea gardens in North Bengal and thousand of labourers have been working there for years. More than 10 tea gardens were shut down recently while some are in a pitiable condition. While the tea gardens of Darjeeling are a hot tourist spot, there are stories of sweat and pain behind these mesmerising views.
There was a time when the Left had a strong presence in these tea gardens. This was then briefly dominated by the TMC. However, tea garden labourers have been voting for the BJP for the past two elections. Since 2019, the BJP has penetrated into tea garden areas, where most of the labourers are from the tribal communities. Tea garden labourers voted for the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha elections and in 2021 Assembly polls, making the BJP win in Jalpaiguri and Alipur.
Over the past two years, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has tried to warm up to the labourers. She stayed in North Bengal for almost one week and visited tea gardens, met the labourers and even danced with them.
Mamata also raised the issue of Tea Board’s new regulation that bought leaf factories can only take laboratory certificate tea leaves from small sellers. Mamata stated that this would lead to “huge problems” and held meetings to request owners not to go ahead with this. “There are several tea workers in the region. These tea garden workers who produce tea here sell to bought-leaf factories. There were insect manifestations and tea leaves were affected and these gardens were closed by the Tea Board. The tea garden workers became unemployed. Why should they suffer,” Mamata questioned.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also raised the issue in a rally earlier this month. “While the condition of the tea gardens of West Bengal is the worst, TMC leaders here are staying in bungalows,” PM Modi said.
The Wind at Tea Gardens
News18 travelled to two tea gardens in North Bengal to get the pulse of the workers there. Beginning work at 7 am, finding out the right type of leaves is their focus
At Majerdhabri Tea Garden, News18 say healthy tea gardens with modernised technology to process tea. Workers, mostly women, get Rs 250 per day and are given an incentive if they pluck more than 24 kg leaves.
“It’s okay, we get Rs 250, but I have a big family. This amount is not enough to provide for food for everyone,” said Sarala Baraik, a woman labourer in her late 50s. With many tea garden closures around, the workers seem to have stopped complaining and are okay with whatever they get.
When asked which way the wind is blowing this election, one of the workers said, “Politicians feel we are idiots, we are not idiots. It’s only election time when we can show our strength. This is not Panchayat election, this is desh ka election.” “Both parties are fighting in a big way, but we really don’t know what will happen this time,” another one added.
Bapan Dutta, tea garden manager, told News18 “There are two types of elections – State Election and Central Elections. In the last two years, the state government has come up with several schemes. There is a general good feeling about the Central Government too. They will weigh which side will give them more benefit and will vote accordingly.”
At the Attwari tea garden, an old-aged worker said, “We are happy, everything is okay but we don’t get retirement money. We have conveyed this to leaders but we don’t know whether they will take this ahead or not. But I think PM Modi is doing well for the country.” Etwa Orao, another old lady, came up and said that the wind is blowing in both directions this time.
Jasmoti Johar, another old woman, told others, “Tell them that this time we will vote for the party we feel is right. Anybody coming in cannot dictate. We are not idiots. We know politicians will only come for vote.”
“Nobody looks after us, everything is just pomp and show, we don’t have a small bridge here for so long despite telling so many people,” said another worker Tama Pai, adding, “I like both didi and Modi, but don’t know how they will know that we have a problem.”
It is clear that the feelings are mixed in these tea gardens and a tight fight may be witnessed in Coochbehar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Darjeeling, the seats that have huge tea gardens presence.
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