Bid to woo bidi workers...

Statesman News Service

MALDA, April 16: With tussle for votes gaining momentum, political parties are now trying to woo the bidis workers. The CPI-M candidate for South Malda, Dr Abdur Razzaque, has been criticising his opponent Mr AH Khan Choudhury, the Congress candidate, pointing out lack of facilities provided to the bidi workers.

Dr Razzaque has made the issue a poll plank and at every meeting in South Malda parliamentary constituency, he has been asking: "What has the current Malda MP, Mr AH Khan Choudhury, done in the interest of bidi workers?"

Dr Razzaque said: “Mr Khan Choudhury has done nothing to address the problem of bidi workers. He has, however, done a lot for the bidi factory owners in this region for his own vested interest.”

“Mr Khan Choudhury owns a packaging house for bidi industries. He keeps in touch with the bidi factory owners so that they buy the packaging products from his company,” Dr Razzaque alleged.

“The MP has not even done anything so that bidi workers get legitimate wages in Samserganj or in Malda district in last two and half years. The CPI-M backed Citu and other LF trade unions always fight for bidi workers here,” he added.

“The factory owners have been paying poor wages to the bidi workers violating the government's minimum wage rate but the Malda MP has not paid heed to the issue in last two years,” he said.