Kalimpong: BJP candidate for Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency Raju Bista on Saturday highlighted the need to address the stifling state of “uncertainty imposed by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government”.
Addressing an election rally today at Sukhia Pokhari in Darjeeling, Bista criticized the TMC for keeping everything “temporary” under the guise of “voluntarism,” including government employees, teachers, and even the governing structure of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA).
Bista further emphasized the BJP’s commitment, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to dismantle this culture of impermanence and usher in stability through the Permanent Political Solution (PPS) under the Constitution of India.
Highlighting the plight of tea garden workers and cinchona workers, Bista, also the National Spokesperson of BJP, accused the TMC government of deliberately keeping them deprived of their Parja Patta land rights and maintaining low wages.
He warned against the TMC’s agenda of driving youths away in pursuit of employment opportunities, while allegedly opening the floodgates for the settlement of Rohingyas and illegal infiltrators, jeopardizing the indigenous inhabitants’ rightful claim to their ancestral lands.
Bista, the sitting MP from the region, praised PM Modi for bringing Four New Labour Laws – Code on Wages, Social Security Code, Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code & the Industrial Relations Code, which guarantee fair wages, higher standards of living, and better social security for tea garden and cinchona garden workers.
Despite the TMC government’s refusal to implement these laws, Bista assured that the BJP would implement them and ensure justice for the workers.
To protect the indigenous people of the region, Bista promised that the BJP would ensure Parja Patta rights to all ancestral lands for tea garden, cinchona garden, forest village, and DI Fund land residents.
He further outlined his vision for the region’s agricultural development, including establishing a robust cold-chain network to mitigate challenges associated with perishable produce.
The MP also proposed the formation of Farmers’ Producer Organizations (FPOs) and Farmer’s Cooperatives to streamline the marketing of agricultural produce.
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Additionally, he pledged to promote rural tourism and homestays in the region, capitalizing on its natural splendour.
Bista further emphasized empowering youth through training and capacity-building initiatives to capitalize on economic opportunities emerging from these ventures.
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