Telegraph file pictureGorkha Janmukti Morcha leader Binay Tamang on Sunday said his party would no longer “recognise” the Darjeeling Tea Association (DTA) and the Indian Tea Association (ITA) for talks, accusing the planters’ bodies of working like “brokers” and precipitating the recent bonus crisis. The Darjeeling Tea Industry has 87 tea gardens, of which 60-odd are members of the DTA and the rest of the ITA. “The Darjeeling Terai Dooars Plantation Labour Union (the Binay camp’s labour arm) and our party will not recognise the Darjeeling Tea Association and the Indian Tea Association henceforth. He added that “they (the planters’ associations) have become like brokers and were the ones to create the tea bonus crisis”. Tamang, however, made it clear that he was not trying to take credit for ensuring 20 per cent bonus, even though it was being paid in two instalments.

Source: The Telegraph October 20, 2019 19:30 UTC