‘ST status delay, hollow schools’: Congress tears into BJP over Tea Tribe neglect
Leaders claim tribal status, healthcare, education still elusive for Assam’s tea workers under BJP rule;

A still of tea workers at work in an Assam tea garden. (Picture used for representational purpose only)
Guwahati, June 24: The Congress has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Assam of betraying the tea garden community, citing unfulfilled promises and deteriorating conditions in the state’s tea belts.
Addressing the press on Tuesday, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) executive president Roselina Tirkey criticised the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led government for failing to deliver on commitment to grant Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the tea community.
“Recognition of the tea community and ST status for six communities were among the BJP’s major promises. But even after 10 years, they remain only on paper,” Tirkey said.
She expressed concern that if current trends continued, the identity of the tea community would be "wiped out" from the state.
Citing rising crimes against women in tea estates, she added, “The government talks about ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, but in tea garden areas, young girls face horrifying atrocities. A seven-year-old was recently raped and murdered in Tinsukia—where is the safety?”
Tirkey also slammed the poor healthcare infrastructure in the tea belt. “There are health centres, but no doctors or medicines. Buildings exist for photo ops, but the government has no real interest in welfare,” she said.
Former MLA Raju Chahu launched a sharp attack on what he described as the government’s “corporate approach” to the tea sector. “The BJP wants to turn the tea garden community into beggars. They treat tea estates as real estate. Ministers are now acting like land brokers. If this continues, there will be no tea gardens left, only land businesses,” he warned.
Chahu also questioned the implementation of the Rs 5,000 assistance scheme for tea workers. “Out of 12.8 lakh workers, only around 6 lakh have received benefits. What about the rest? Is compassion now selective?” he asked.
Youth leader Pranjal Ghatowar highlighted the alarming dropout rates among children in tea garden areas and blamed the poor state of educational infrastructure.
“Schools were provincialised during the Congress regime. Today, the BJP builds school buildings, but there are no teachers. Children are dropping out in large numbers. Others misuse tea tribe certificates to get into universities and medical colleges,” he claimed.
“The highest dropout rates are among Adivasi children, and the government has done nothing to address this,” he added.
Former minister Atuwa Munda echoed these concerns, stating, “The BJP government is making tea garden workers poorer. They boast about school infrastructure, but these are hollow shells without staff. What they offer is superficial; what they take away runs deep. Even the labour department has been weakened.”
Congress leaders also criticised the discontinuation of welfare schemes introduced during the Congress era, alleging that benefits under schemes like Orunodoi are being selectively distributed among BJP workers.
They collectively charged that despite being in power for nearly a decade, the BJP government has failed to fulfil its key electoral promises to the tea garden community.