Rally to protest Centre's move to stop subsidised ration to tea garden workers

TEZPUR: A rally was taken out today by the Tea cell of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee here to protest against the Centre's proposed move to stop providing ration at subsidised rate to tea garden workers of the state.

The rally, led by the former Congress minister Ripun Bora and President Tea Cell Gohpur Legislative Assembly branch Louis Barla and General Secretary Pankaj Mahanand, marched to the Deputy Commissioner's office here shouting slogans against the BJP-led central government.

The protestors also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi through Sonitpur Deputy Commissioner Lalit Gogoi.

Former Congress Minister Ripun Bora said that in Assam there are 19,28,829 families of tea workers who were getting subsidized rice but from January first, this will be stopped by the Centre which will adversely affect the families.

He urged the Centre to reconsider this "anti-people, anti-poor and anti-labour policy and allow the present system of providing ration to the tea workers at subsidized rate to continue."

Mahanand further said that if the Centre failed to resolve this issue and did not consider their demand, they will be compelled to resort to democratic agitation in the greater interest of the community.