Switching briefly to Bengali, Sitharaman targeted the ruling Trinamool in Bengal, accusing it of neglecting tea garden workers. Quoting figures, she alleged that “3.79 lakh tea garden workers” had been denied benefits, repeating in Bengali that injustice had been done to them, triggering protests from Opposition benches. The minister seized upon remarks by senior Trinamool MP Saugata Roy on “distributive justice”, turning the argument against the party. Citing the Centre’s welfare initiatives, Sitharaman referred to the Pradhan Mantri Tea Garden Workers’ Scheme launched in 2021-22, claiming that while neighbouring Assam had implemented it — benefiting over seven lakh workers — Bengal had not. She reiterated that lakhs of tea workers in the state were being deprived of the benefits, again repeating her charge in Bengali in an apparent outreach to voters.

Source: The Telegraph March 26, 2026 06:05 UTC