Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Darjeeling MP Raju Bista on Saturday launched a scathing attack at TMC's trade union functionaries for staging a sit-in with 'tea garden workers' in front of BJP legislators in North Bengal and said that they are misleading the workers.
"Trinamool Congress trade union functionaries have been misleading the tea garden workers into gheraoing the house of BJP MPs and MLAs in North Bengal. This is a classic case of 'Chor Kai Thulo Sor'-- the thief speaks in the loudest voice," he said.
Earlier last month, the ruling party Trinamul had started the protests along with tea garden labourers in front of the residences of four BJP MLAs, including the residence of Alipurduar MP and Union minister of state for minority affairs John Barla and Nagrakata.
Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) workers also staged the protest in front of Bista's house in Matigara, Darjeeling.
The protestors are alleging that BJP legislators had done nothing to solve the problems of the tea garden workers in the State.
Reacting to this, BJP leader Bista said, "While TMC pretends to care for the tea garden workers, the fact of the matter is that TMC has refused to implement the New Labour Codes that have been passed by the Parliament in 2019-20 itself. These Codes guarantee fair wages for all workers, provide them with better social safety nets, and ensure better working conditions for them. The delay in the implementation of these new labour codes has kept the Tea Garden and Cinchona Garden Workers of our region deprived of their rights guaranteed by the Constitution."
He said that despite being in power for the past 12 years, the TMC govt has completely failed to take concrete steps to protect the tea garden workers, and the tea industry in Darjeeling and North Bengal. "Today, the entire tea industry is on the verge of collapse due to the faulty policies and priorities of the TMC Govt," he added.
Taking note of the demonstrations, Bista said that by staging this drama, TMC has shown they are not only tyrannical, but they are also insensitive, indifferent and immoral, and using lies to cover up for their failure.
( With inputs from ANI )
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