"No wages, no votes": AATSA issues warning to BJP in Assam's Tingkhong over unpaid dues

The Assam Tea Tribes Students’ Association (AATSA) has issued a strong warning to the ruling BJP ahead of the upcoming elections, threatening to vote against the party if the issue of unpaid wages to workers of tea gardens under the Andrew Yule Company is not resolved.

The organisation alleged that workers in tea estates located in Tingkhong and Rajgarh under Dibrugarh district have not received four consecutive wage payments, triggering widespread distress among the tea tribe community.

According to AATSA, the state government’s failure to ensure timely payment of dues has led to growing resentment on the ground. The student body stated that despite the severity of the situation, no concrete or effective steps have been taken by the authorities to address the crisis.

AATSA leaders have made it clear that the issue could have significant electoral implications if left unresolved, indicating that the tea tribe community may respond strongly at the ballot box.

 

The association further criticised what it described as attempts to deflect attention from the core issue. It alleged that certain BJP “pali leaders” have been spreading misinformation on social media to discredit AATSA’s activities.

 

Responding to claims that the organisation engages in questionable financial dealings with political leaders, AATSA categorically denied the allegations, calling them baseless and misleading.

 

Clarifying a viral video being circulated online, AATSA stated that the footage is approximately 15–20 days old and unrelated to its recent outreach efforts. The organisation added that its visits to the affected tea gardens began only in the last two days.

 

AATSA has alleged that the video is being deliberately shared to create confusion among tea garden workers and to tarnish the organisation’s image at a crucial time ahead of the elections.