Jharkhand Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey Campaigns in Doomdooma, Accuses BJP of Land Grab and School Closures

Congress star campaigner and Jharkhand Minister Shilpi Neha Tirkey took her campaign to the 82 No. Doomdooma Legislative Assembly Constituency on Thursday, visiting tea garden areas in support of Congress candidate Durga Bhumij and launching a wide-ranging attack on the BJP government's record in Assam.

Tirkey, who serves as the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Co-operatives in the Jharkhand coalition government, addressed a press conference at Rajiv Bhawan in Doomdooma in the evening, where she outlined a series of allegations against the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led administration.

Also Read: JMM Minister Tirkey Slams BJP Over Broken Promises to Assam's Tea Garden Workers

Tirkey alleged that during the BJP's decade in power, the people of Assam had lived under a cloud of fear, uncertainty, and an identity crisis — and that the government had been involved in large-scale land grabbing across the state.

She claimed that nearly 12,000 bighas of land had been grabbed by the Chief Minister and his family under various pretexts. She also alleged that around 3,000 bighas of land in Dima Hasao district — which falls under the Sixth Schedule — had been handed over to cement companies.

Tirkey reserved some of her sharpest criticism for what she described as a systematic weakening of protections for tea garden land and tea workers.

She alleged that laws enacted by previous Congress governments to safeguard tea estates and their workers have been gradually diluted under BJP rule. Citing recent legislation, she said the government has allowed up to 20 per cent of tea garden land to be used for commercial purposes — a move she described as directly undermining the interests of tea communities.

She also alleged that large tracts of tea garden land in Doomdooma have been cleared in the name of oil and gas exploration, specifically mentioning the Digultarang and Deamoolie tea estates as examples.

On the question of education, Tirkey alleged that more than 8,000 schools have been shut down during the BJP's tenure in Assam, cutting off access to education for children from economically weaker sections of society — including those from tea garden families.

Congress candidate Durga Bhumij also addressed the gathering, directing his criticism at BJP candidate Rupesh Gowala — General Secretary of the Assam Chah Mazdoor Sangha's central committee.

Bhumij alleged that while tea workers in Doomdooma continued to face deprivation and poor wages, Gowala had significantly increased his personal wealth over the past five years — a contrast he argued speaks to the BJP's actual priorities in the constituency.