Asserting that his party will fight against all moves to divide the state, Banerjee said he was also against terms such as 'north Bengal' and 'south Bengal' (PTI photo)Trinamool Congress general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday said that he along with party supporters will gherao the houses of BJP MPs and MLAs if the issues concerning provident fund (PF) and gratuity of tea garden workers were not resolved by December 31.
Addressing a meeting of the TMC’s labour wing in Alipurduar district, Banerjee blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the plight of those working in north Bengal’s tea plantations.
Abhishek, nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, announced that 50 creches and as many primary health centres will be built within six months. “Tea workers, who are mostly women, go to the tea gardens with their children. It has been their long-pending demand for creches for children in tea gardens,” he said.
He added, “I know many of you do not get PF and gratuity. This matter is in the hands of the central government. Hold a vigorous agitation for PF and gratuity. If you don’t get PF and gratuity by December 31, then you should gherao houses of John Barla, Nishith Pramanik and Jayant Ray (BJP MPs from Alipurduar, Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri) and those of nine BJP MLAs from Alipuduar and Jalpaiguri districts. I will also join you.”
The MP also accused PM Modi of doing nothing for those working in the tea gardens. “Your “achchhe din” (good days) have not come. But the “achchhe din” of Barla, Pramanik and Ray have arrived. While Barla got constructed a mansion in a tea garden, Pramanik built a marble palace for himself in Delhi,” he claimed.
There was no such thing as north Bengal, he said, adding that people from Cooch Behar to Kakdwip and Darjeeling to Deganga were one. “By January 31, all 3.5 lakh tea workers from this region will get ID cards. This is my assurance,” he said.
Also, the MP claimed that the party will come up with new faces. “I spoke about a new Trinamool. I mean we will do the way people want to see the Trinamool. New block committees and town committees have been set up. In the coming days, you will see a change in the panchayats too. There are some leaders with whom people are angry and this is the reason we are reorganising the party,” he said.
The TMC leader accused the BJP of trying to divide the people of Bengal. “Some BJP leaders are claiming that Bengal will be bifurcated while others are saying that a new union territory will be carved out of it. Can Amit Shah come clean on the issue? We have unequivocally stated that Bengal will never be bifurcated. The BJP plays with people’s sentiments but TMC works for them,” he said.
BJP’s Madarihat MLA Manoj Tigga said, “Abhishek talked a lot about the tea gardens. He asked the workers to file FIRs against the tea garden owners and get them arrested. Most of the tea garden owners live near his house. He has announced to gherao our houses. Will he stay out of jail till then?”