"Show Us the CM’s Tea Garden List First": Gaurav Gogoi Challenges State Over Land Rights Bill

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi on Saturday raised doubts over the state government’s recent decision to grant land pattas to members of the tea community, alleging that the move has been timed to influence the upcoming elections.

Addressing reporters in Guwahati, Gogoi questioned why the government waited nearly a decade to bring the land rights legislation. “Was this decision only made on paper, or will it actually be implemented? If the government truly intended to give land pattas to the tea community, why didn’t they do it during the last ten years? Why has this law been brought just four months before the elections?” he said.

He claimed the government could have completed the process either during the tenure of former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal or soon after Himanta Biswa Sarma took office. Instead, Gogoi accused the government of facilitating the takeover of several non-functional tea estates by private owners while the workers’ welfare deteriorated.

“The government has acquired many tea gardens and handed them over to owners who failed to run them properly. Workers’ PF stopped, and even basic festival benefits during Puja and Christmas were discontinued,” Gogoi alleged.

Targeting the Chief Minister directly, he said, “If the intention was genuinely to provide land rights, he could have offered them long ago instead of acquiring garden after garden over the last five years.” He demanded that the government publicly release the list of tea gardens purchased by the Chief Minister or his family and first grant land rights to workers employed in those estates.

Gogoi also flagged the poor living conditions in many tea garden regions, saying workers continue to lack access to quality healthcare and education, while anaemia rates remain high. He further alleged widespread irregularities in the implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission in tea garden areas, claiming involvement of a minister close to the Chief Minister.

The Congress leader said the party will begin protest programmes across tea garden belts in multiple districts starting 10 December.

APCC Holds Review Meeting at Rajiv Bhavan

Earlier in the day, Gogoi chaired a day-long organisational review meeting at Rajiv Bhavan with presidents and secretaries from 22 districts to assess booth-level preparedness. Discussions focused on BLA lists, progress of booth committees, and strategies to highlight alleged corruption and administrative irregularities before the public.

The meeting also finalised the plan for sending district-level and constituency-level representatives to the Congress protest rally titled “Vote Chor Gaddi Chhod” scheduled at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan on 14 December. According to party leaders, more than 2,000 representatives from Assam are expected to join the demonstration.

The meeting was attended by APCC vice presidents Pranoy Rabha, Sharifuj Zaman, Praneshwar Basumatary, Jayanta Kalita, and Mehdi Alam Bora, along with AICC general secretary (organisation) Bipul Gogoi.

Similar organisational meetings were previously held on 25 November at Biswanath Chariali and on 27 November in Jorhat with district-level leaders.

Also Read: Assam Assembly Clears Land Pattas for 3 Lakh Tea Garden Workers