Mamata Banerjee engages in North Bengal outreach, addresses tea garden worker unemployment crisis

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was on a public outreach, meeting people, tea garden workers, children, students and even plucking tea with tea garden workers and making tea in a local tea shop in North Bengal's Chalsa, ahead of her first public rally in Coochbehar district’s Mathabhanga tomorrow.

The Trinamool Supremo will kick off her first North Bengal tomorrow. “My first meeting will be in Coochbehar’s Mathabanga followed by Malbazar. Then, I will hold a public rally in Raiganj’s Hemtabad and Balurghat’s Tapan,” the Bengal Chief Minister said.

On 17th April, Banerjee will go to Assam for campaign. “I will go to Assam for campaign as Trinamool Congress has fielded four candidates in Assam,” she said.


During the outreach, Banerjee even entered a tea-shop and made tea for all assembled there.

The Chief Minister also held a meeting with the tea garden workers and other stake holders in connection with unemployment of innumerable tea garden workers.

“There are several tea workers in the region. These tea garden workers who produce tea here sell to bought-leaf factories. There are some insects and tea leaves were affected and then these gardens were closed by the Tea Board. Why they were victims- the reason must be known. Then these tea garden workers were closed and they became unemployed,” she said.

“I requested not to close the tea gardens. After the Lok Sabha election, the Bengal administration will talk to the scientists and researchers. The administration, with its agri-department and irrigation departments, can intervene in the matter,” she added.

A crisis has emerged in the small tea sector as bought-leaf factories (BLFs) or standalone tea processing units that buy tea from small tea growers have stopped taking teas from them unless the tea leaves bear certain lab test reports.

I don’t want to comment about the Tea Board. Earlier, there was at least one Bengal’s representative in Tea Board. But there is none now. Whatever our administration can, I will try to intervene after polls,” Banerjee said.

Abhishek Banerjee in Birbhum

In absence of Birbhum district President Anubrata Mondal, who is in jail, in connection with coal and cattle smuggling scams, Trinamool National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee held rounds of meetings in Birbhum district.

Banerjee, speaking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit tomorrow, said, “The Prime Minister is coming tomorrow for a public meeting in Coochbehar. I expect that he will come and furnish WHITE PAPER. I expect him to furnish details/ White Paper of the amount paid to Bengal under Awas and MGNREGA from 2021.”