'Tea Workers lost Rs 2 lakh': Congress slams BJP govt over failure to provide promised wages

By Devabrata Dutta

GUWAHATI: The Assam Congress slammed the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party, the ruling party of the state, for failing to deliver the promised increment in daily wages of tea workers.

Yesterday, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had announced a hike of Rs 38 in the daily wages of the tea gardens workers in the state and increased their daily wages to Rs 205.

“Every Tea Worker lost Rs 2,70,000/- by a single order of the BJP Government,” said APCC in a statement.

Congress added further taking reference to their electoral promise of Rs 365 increment to the daily wages of the tea workers, “Thus the tea workers ( per person) are now having a loss of Rs 160/- per day. If we calculate the loss of a tea worker it will be approximately Rs 4500/- every month which means the monthly loss of a tea worker for voting for BJP is Rs 4500/- which would amount to an annual loss of approximately Rs 54,000/- per tea worker. If we again calculate for 5 years then it would come to a loss per tea worker of approximately Rs 2,70,000."

Also Read: Assam Hikes Daily Wage Of Tea Garden Workers By Rs 38

The Congress came down heavily on the BJP and called it a “harsh gift” of BJP to the tea workers for their mistake of voting for the BJP.

“It is no doubt a rude shock for the simple tea workers to believe in the false promises of the BJP and the Congress feels that this is a lesson for others to learn as well,” Congress added further.

Ahead of the Assam Assembly polls in 2016, the BJP had promised to increase the daily wages of tea workers to Rs 351.

After failing to do so in five years of their first term in Assam, the Sarbananda Sonowal led government, just before this year’s Assembly polls, promised to increase their wages to Rs 217 by adding Rs 50 to what they have been getting.

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