Alipurduar, March 19 -- Trinamool Congress (TMC) initiated a campaign delivering leaflets to homes in 473 booths across 111 tea gardens in Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency. Similar efforts are underway in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling constituencies. This programme, launched in Alipurduar, will run until April 17, coinciding with the first round

of elections.Approximately 100,000 leaflets in Hindi detail the state government's developmental efforts in tea gardens.

They also highlight the Central government's neglect of these plantations. Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU) spearheads this initiative. Nakul Sonar, chairman of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union, stated: "We are committed to reaching every tea worker's family." Birendra Bara, organisation's president, elaborated: "Members of the garden unit will spend 20 minutes at the home of each tea garden worker. We have units established in each tea garden, with many gardens hosting multiple booths. Consequently, unit members will form multiple teams to visit each labour line."

Meanwhile, Trinamool candidate Prakash Chik Baraik conducted a campaign in the Tufanganj Assembly constituency of Cooch Behar district within the Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency since Tuesday. Baraik, who himself hails from a tea plantation background, emphasised: "There are 473 booths spread across 111 tea gardens within the Alipurduar Lok Sabha constituency. If necessary, we are prepared to visit a tea worker's household up to 10 times." Leaders among Trinamool's tea workers expressed grievances, citing the Central government's failure to fulfill promises of allocating Rs 1,000 crore to tea plantations. They also noted the absence of any attempts to take over weak tea gardens and the discontinuation of stipends for students of tea plantations by the Tea Board.

Moreover, the tea industry is currently devoid of subsidy funds. Conversely, the state government has delivered various schemes and facilities to tea gardens.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.