Adivasi union demands 7 Assembly seats and equal rights for Barak tea garden workers

A crucial meeting was held on December 11 at Subang Tea Garden in Cachar district, led by the Barak Valley Adivasi Union, to deliberate on the persistent challenges faced by tea garden workers. 

The union’s leadership pressed for stronger political representation, reiterating their demand that Adivasi candidates be fielded in all 7 Assembly seats of the Barak Valley.

According to the Barak Valley Adivasi Union’s Cachar district committee, the meeting—held at the garden’s dance hall—brought together a significant number of workers to discuss pressing socio-economic concerns. 

These included long-standing issues of education, health, drinking water, and overall developmental gaps in the tea estates.

Addressing the gathering, union leaders alleged that tea garden workers have been subjected to prolonged exploitation and that the community’s educational backwardness has been used to keep them away from various government benefits. 

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The speakers also emphasised the rich cultural traditions of the Adivasi community, urging the government to ensure their protection and upliftment.

The meeting highlighted a memorandum submitted to the government on 20 November, which demanded land ownership rights for tea garden workers, equal wages for Barak Valley workers on par with those in the Brahmaputra Valley, and the recognition of Adivasis as a Scheduled Tribe. 

Union officials acknowledged Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma’s initiative to grant land titles to garden workers, calling it a positive step, but noted that several demands remain unaddressed. They announced that the association would soon follow up with the government to pursue the pending issues.

At the same time, the officials reiterated their call for Adivasi candidates in every Assembly constituency of the Barak Valley in the upcoming elections and urged the government to intervene to ensure adequate representation and justice for the community.