Mamata to visit north Bengal to fuel tea stir

 

COOCH BEHAR, July 23: Trinamul Congress chief Miss Mamata Bannerjee plans visiting north Bengal to fuel the demand for reopening of the closed and abandoned tea gardens. The decision to organise a series of movement over the issue was adopted at the two-day meeting of the North Bengal Core Committee (NBCC) of the party held at Kolkata on yesterday and today. All the 13 members of the NBCC including its chairman Mr Gautam Deb, executive members Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh and Mr Mridul Goswami and senior state level party leaders were present at the meeting.

 

NBCC sources said that in a bid to gear up the movement for reopening of the closed and abandoned tea gardens of Dooars the party supremo Miss Mamata Bannerjee will address at a conference of tea garden workers at Malbazar on 30 August. She will also address at such conferences to be held at Bharnabari Tea Estate and Kathalguri Tea Estate on 31 August. During the next phase of the movement Trinamul Congress will organise Bhukha-michhil (hunger march) of tea garden workers and blockade of Tea Board office at Kolkata. As they want participation of a massive number of workers in these programmes they will initiate an extensive campaign in all the tea garden areas in Dooars. Miss Bannerjee will also attend party workers' conferences at Malda, Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur on 15-16 September.

 

It may be recalled here that the Trinamul Congress chief had visited Shikarpur and Raipur tea estates on 17 June.

 

Cooch Behar District Trinamul Congress president Mr Rabindra Nath Ghosh said Miss Bannerjee would address at a gathering at Shitalkuchi on 1 September. The gathering will be held to stage protest against the "forcible cremation" of a girl that was allegedly occurred at Dakshin Nalgram village of Sitalkuchi in Mathabhanga sub-division on 22 June. It may be recalled that Ms Sonali Guha (MLA), a close confidant of the firebrand leader visited that village with other leaders of the party on 30 June. They had submitted a detailed report to Miss Bannerjee. It is believed that after reviewing that report she agreed to attend a protest rally at Sitalkuchi to demand high-level inquiry into the gruesome incident and arrest of all the seven accused that are stated to be CPI-M activists.

 

Meanwhile, a Trinamul Congress delegation led by the leader of the opposition in the Assembly Mr Partha Chatterjee submitted a memorandum to the Tea Board office at Kolkata today. Mr Mukul Roy (MP), Mr Shovandeb Chattopadhyay and the NBCC members attended the programme. NBCC sources said they demanded the Tea Board to take an initiative to draw an end to the stalemate that is prevailing in the closed and abandoned tea gardens in Dooars. Only a measure like reopening of the tea gardens can bring a permanent solution to the ongoing impasse, they opined. []