Abhishek promises Rs 300 daily wage for tea workers, eyes BJP turf in north Bengal

Alipurduar, Jan 3 (PTI) TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday sought to reclaim political ground in north Bengal by promising a sharp hike in daily wages of tea garden workers, placing labour welfare at the centre of the party's pitch for the 2026 Assembly elections in a tea belt that has largely tilted towards the BJP since 2019.

Addressing a rally-cum-interaction with tea garden workers in Alipurduar, Banerjee said that if the TMC returns to power for a fourth consecutive term, the daily wage of tea workers would be raised to Rs 300 after a tripartite meeting involving the state government, garden owners and workers' representatives.

"Daily wages of Rs 250 are not enough to run a household given the rise in prices. I give you my word -- within 30 days of the next government being formed, a tripartite meeting will be held, and within seven days of that, the process to ensure Rs 300 daily wages will begin," Banerjee said, responding to questions from workers.

The assurance followed complaints raised by Rajesh Oraon, a tea garden worker from Kumargram, who flagged multiple grievances through a written note that was read out at the rally of Banerjee, considered number two in the TMC hierarchy.

Invited on stage, Oraon spoke of unfulfilled promises, lack of housing, denial of access to forest resources, inadequate healthcare facilities, absence of ambulances in remote gardens, and poor access to drinking water and education.

"Your questions are valid. The problems you have spoken about are real," Banerjee said, acknowledging the distress in the tea sector.

Recalling that daily wage of tea workers was Rs 67 when the TMC came to power in 2011, he said the amount had increased to Rs 250 over the past 14 years but conceded that inflation had eroded its value.

"When I came here last year, wages were Rs 232. It was raised by Rs 18, but that is still not enough," he said.

Beyond wages, Banerjee flagged pending provident fund dues, gaps in primary healthcare and the absence of creches in tea gardens, promising that all primary health centres and creches would be made operational within two years, with adequate doctors, nurses and ambulance services.

Saturday's rally was part of Banerjee's 19-day, 26-meeting statewide campaign, 'Abar Jitbe Bangla' (Bengal will win again), and his second stop in north Bengal -- a region where the BJP has consolidated its hold over the past two election cycles.

The political stakes in the tea belt are high, with tea garden workers -- largely Adivasi and tribal communities -- estimated to influence outcomes in at least 15 Assembly seats across Alipurduar (five seats), Jalpaiguri (seven seats) and the Darjeeling hills and Terai-Dooars region (three seats).

Since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, most of these constituencies have emerged as BJP strongholds, aided by worker discontent, identity politics and organisational churn within the TMC.

In the 2021 Assembly polls, the BJP made deep inroads in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri districts, while retaining a strong presence in parts of Darjeeling.

"My first priority will be Alipurduar," Banerjee said. "If I cannot come myself, I will send a senior minister. But the meeting will happen here, and Rs 300 daily wages will be ensured." As Bengal inches towards the 2026 Assembly elections, the TMC's renewed emphasis on tea garden workers underscores its attempt to reopen bread-and-butter issues in one of the state's most economically vulnerable regions and arrest the BJP's dominance in north Bengal. PTI PNT NN