Tea garden bulldozed in tribal area, BJP slams move

BJP leaders in North Bengal have renewed their allegations against the West Bengal government, accusing it of selling off tea estate lands to private developers at the cost of indigenous livelihoods.

Siliguri MLA and chief whip of the state Assembly Sankar Ghosh on Friday cited a fresh example from the Rasikbil tribal settlement in Tufanganj, Cooch Behar, where bulldozers were allegedly used to destroy a community-run tea garden.

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According to Mr Ghosh, the land was cultivated for years by tribal families under a collective initiative—an arrangement protected under the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (operational since 2008). He accused the state of failing to implement this law, thereby violating the constitutional rights of the tribal population.

“It is deeply unfortunate that even after nearly two decades of discussion and 18 years of legal recognition, the West Bengal forest department either remains unaware of the Act or is wilfully ignoring it under pressure,” Mr Ghosh said.

The incident triggered a sharp political face-off in the Assembly during a “Calling Attention” session. Ghosh directly charged the government with failing to protect tea estates and instead “illegally selling of land.”

Labour minister Moloy Ghatak responded by challenging the BJP MLA to provide evidence. “If you have any video or documents, send them to me—I will take appropriate action,” he said, adding, “You have my phone number, send the video.”

Mr Ghatak also defended the government’s record, stating that tea workers’ daily wages had increased from Rs 67 to Rs 250 under the Trinamul Congress regime. He highlighted welfare measures like the Cha Sundari housing scheme and free distribution of 35 kg rice per family per month.

Taking a swipe at the BJP, the minister claimed that in Assam, governed by the BJP, tea workers receive only 20 kg of rice and that too at Rs 9 per kg.

Ghosh, however, countered that this was not an isolated case. “I raised a similar issue in 2022 and submitted all necessary evidence. Three years have passed, and still, no action has been taken.”

The issue has once again spotlighted the fragile balance between development, land rights, and the constitutional protections of tribal communities in West Bengal’s tea belt.