Alipurduar: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will visit Alipurduar on Saturday to participate in the party’s “Abar Jitbe Bangla” programme. As part of the initiative, he will hold a direct interaction with workers and employees from 61 tea gardens at the out-division ground of the Majherdabri Tea Garden.
In preparation for the event, a temporary stadium has been erected at the tea garden’s football ground.
Around 100 representatives from each tea garden are expected to attend, enabling nearly 6,000 tea garden workers to directly place their demands and grievances before the party’s national general secretary. A specially designed elongated stage has been constructed at the centre of the ground to allow Abhishek Banerjee to move freely and engage with workers from all directions.
According to Trinamool Congress sources in Alipurduar district, Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to arrive by helicopter from Bagdogra at a temporary helipad adjacent to the venue around 1 pm, after which he will proceed directly to the programme site.
He is expected to spend several hours listening to the hardships and concerns of tea garden workers, making the programme an unconventional and closely watched political interaction in the tea belt.
State President of the Trinamool Tea Garden Workers’ Union, Birendra Bara Oraon, said that teams of 100 representatives from each tea garden would be present. “Such an opportunity does not come often. Workers will be able to directly voice their concerns,” he said.
From Friday morning, Rajya Sabha MP Ritrabat Banerjee, along with senior leaders of the Alipurduar district Trinamool Congress, has been overseeing preparations at the venue.
Speaking to the media, Banerjee said that while the central government frequently highlights tea gardens in speeches and Union budgets, tangible benefits remain absent on the ground. “In contrast, the Chief Minister has implemented multiple people-centric schemes for tea garden workers, the results of which are now visible,” he said.
Referring to the programme’s slogan, “Jotoi koro hamla, Abar jitbe Bangla” (No matter how much you attack, Bangla will win again), Ritrabat Banerjee added that the initiative, which began in Baruipur, would have a significant impact among tea garden workers in Alipurduar as well.