Jharkhand Leader Questions Assam’s Tribal Policy Amid Massive Tea Worker Protests

Despite massive protests by hundreds of thousands of tea workers in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts demanding solutions to their longstanding issues, the Assam government has yet to give the matter the attention it deserves.

Today, former Rajya Sabha MP and ex-Speaker of the Jharkhand Legislative Assembly, Pradeep Balmuchu, questioned why communities recognised as tribal in Jharkhand are not granted the same status in Assam. He called for the recognition of Assam’s tea community as a Scheduled Tribe during a press conference in Guwahati. Balmuchu, coordinating the media division of the All India Congress, alleged that people working in Assam’s tea gardens are systematically deprived on multiple fronts.

He stated that the current government is denying tea workers their rightful wages, a concern that the Congress party has taken seriously. A high-level brainstorming session on the matter will be held soon.

Senior Congress leader and former MLA Raju Sahu, present at the press conference, accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of threatening Assam’s tea gardens. According to Sahu, the government has allegedly drafted legislation to repurpose tea garden land, enabling ministers and other officials to acquire it cheaply for non-tea purposes. Tea communities are now aware of what they describe as a deliberate plot against their livelihoods.

Sahu further claimed that following widespread protests in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia, similar demonstrations are expected across Jorhat, Sivasagar, Charaideo, and Sonitpur districts. He also ridiculed the Chief Minister’s claim that BJP members are behind the protests, noting that slogans of “Down with BJP,” “Down with Himanta Biswa Sarma,” and “Down with Narendra Modi” dominated the protest events, highlighting the popular discontent.

He added that Assam’s tea industry is facing severe challenges due to the government’s policy of purchasing tea leaves at low prices from Kenya and Bangladesh. Sahu directly implicated Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in this alleged conspiracy.

Also present, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) media division head Bedabrata Borah said that the living standards of tea workers have declined and that, in response, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee began a series of protest actions on October 13. Under the leadership of Pradesh Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, the movement started at the Pratapgarh Tea Estate in Biswanath district to demand tribal recognition for the tea community, ensure the safety of women and children, increase workers’ wages to ₹515 per day, and provide basic education and healthcare in tea gardens.

Borah added that Congress will take final steps to secure the Scheduled Tribe status for Assam’s tea community.

Also Read: Massive Rally In Dibrugarh: Tea Community Demands Land Rights, ST Status