Near Naxalbari, tea workers told ‘no one cares about you like Modi, a chaiwala’

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Addressing the rally, Varman said: “The Naxals used to say ‘maliker kalo haat bhenge dao, guriye dao (break, grind the owner’s black hand)’… the CPM too followed suit. Now, the Congress’ black and CPM’s red hands have come together. Where they were fighting yesterday, they are holding hands now. This is wrong and unholy.”

Taking up where Varman had left off, Oram reiterated that there was something “unholy” and “wrong” about the Left-Congress tie-up. “No one besides the BJP has ever done anything for the tribal community. Tell me, why is it that no one before the BJP government, before Vajpayee, thought of creating a tribal affairs ministry? Why is it that no one else thought that the problems of adivasis warranted expertise?” he told the gathering.

Oram had created history after becoming India’s first tribal affairs minister in the Vajpayee government in 1999. The 55-year-old was BJP’s sole candidate to win in Odisha in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls.

A third of the Matigara-Naxalbari constituency, which is reserved for Scheduled Tribes, are tea plantation workers. Addressing them specifically, Oram said: “No one cares about tea plantation workers like Narendra Modi. He was a chai wala before and he understands your problems. He wants to help you. He has a lot of money at his behest, which can be utilised here… I also have some money. But for that you need to elect a BJP MLA to ensure that the money can be utilised properly.”

“I can ensure that the money reaches Kolkata, but from there, it has to come to Siliguri and then here. In between, no one knows where that money will disappear. If you vote for our MLA, then work will take place. This isn’t just my promise. But also the promise of Vajpayee, Advani, Narendra Modi and Amit Shah,” he added.