Tea Community Brought from Margins to Mainstream: Assam CM

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday said his government has taken decisive steps to recognise and uplift the state’s tea community, asserting that they are now central to Assam’s development journey.

Speaking during the Budget Session 2026 of the Assam Legislative Assembly, Sarma alleged that earlier regimes failed to give due recognition to tea workers despite celebrating Assam’s global tea identity.

“Congress sipped Assam tea with delight, yet denied the tea community their rightful due. Today, under our double-engine government, the Chai Samuday has moved from the margins to the mainstream,” he said.

Highlighting Assam’s 200-year-old tea legacy, the Chief Minister said the state is globally identified with tea, but the workers behind its production were long overlooked.

“Whenever we go outside, people ask, ‘Is it Assam for tea?’ Yes, it is our tea. But we failed to recognise the people who worked tirelessly to produce it. During our government, we began giving them the recognition they deserve, and this will not stop,” he added.

Sarma also said the government has secured favourable verdicts in legal battles concerning the rights of tea workers in both the High Court and the Supreme Court. He claimed that while it was once said that governments would surrender before tea estate owners, his administration persuaded estate owners to withdraw their case in favour of workers.

Referring to wage issues, the Chief Minister said the government would attempt to enhance daily wages of tea garden workers from March 1, subject to favourable conditions.

He also said a significant legislative correction was made regarding land rights.

“When the Ceiling Act was discussed earlier, no one raised that tea workers’ land had been included under its provisions. In these five golden years, we have kept tea workers outside the purview of the ceiling act and granted them land rights,” Sarma added.

The Chief Minister described the move as a milestone in ensuring dignity, security and long-term empowerment for Assam’s tea community.

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