DIBRUGARH, Sept 8 - Now that the elections are due next year, the issue of failure of the BJP-led government in keeping its last poll promise of paying a minimum wage of Rs 350 to tea garden workers and granting the scheduled tribe (ST) status to various plantation communities are driving various tea organisations and trade unions to raise the issue for its early fulfilment.
The Assam Tea Tribes Students� Association (ATTSA), the All Adivasi Students� Association of Assam (AASAA) and the influential Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha (ACMS) have also upped their ante against the government for the fulfilment of these demands.
The ACMS is also determined not to settle for anything less than Rs 351 as minimum wage for the tea garden workers.
ACMS general secretary Rupesh Goalla told newsmen here today that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had promised in the last Assembly elections that the plantation workers would receive Rs 350 as daily minimum wage if voted to power. �Moreover, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who claims to be a �chaiwala� says that he understands the �dard� (pain) of the tea garden workers. In this context, BJP must ensure that the workers are paid Rs 351 as a daily minimum wage,� stated Goalla.
On the ST issue, Goalla said the BJP had promised during the last Assembly polls to grant ST status to the six ethnic communities of Assam, including the communities from tea gardens. �As of now, they have created three autonomous councils for three separate communities. We endorsed the move. However, we also demand the creation of such an autonomous council for the Adivasi tea garden community,� said the ACMS leader.
As per the central executive meeting of the ACMS held here yesterday, Rupesh Goalla said tea garden workers would launch a series of agitation programmes in the tea gardens in support of their demand for a wage hike, ST status and other issues. In the first phase, the ACMS has announced agitation programmes on September 16, 22 and 29.
The programmes would involve demonstrations in tea gardens, in front of the offices of circle officers and SDOs, and forming human chains on all major highways across the State.
