Bulu Chik Baraik, the minister of state for backward classes welfare and tribal affairs, has alleged that some people are making money in the name of Trinamool to provide houses to tea workers under the “Cha Sundari” scheme introduced by the Mamata Banerjee government.

Baraik, at a meeting at the district TMC office here on Friday, came up with the allegation, to the surprise of the Jalpaiguri party leadership.

“The minister blatantly said some people are collecting money from poor tea workers while promising them houses under the state’s housing scheme in Trinamool's name. He asked party leaders to find out those involved in the unscrupulous activity,” said a TMC leader present at the meeting.

Mamata had launched the Cha Sundari scheme to provide free houses and land to tea workers and their families a couple of years ago.

The minister's statement has led to repercussions within the party.

Mahua Gope, the district TMC president, has claimed that no one from the party is involved in this malpractice alleged by the state minister.

Others in Trinamool have demanded that the party conduct a probe.

“It is true that the minister has come up with an allegation. But let us be clear that no one from our party is associated with it. We have passed the information to state INTTUC leaders to find out if there is any veracity in the allegation,” said Gope.

A senior Trinamool functionary based in Jalpaiguri, who didn’t want to be named, however, said that the party itself should also conduct a probe into the minister's charge.

“We should not take the minister’s allegation lightly as he is from the tea belt (Baraik is from Malbazar). Along with houses, land rights have also been provided to tea workers. The party should check if money is extracted from tea workers for this purpose,” the TMC leader said.

He pointed out that even if no one from the TMC is involved, the party should identify the people, if any, who are taking money from tea workers and file complaints with the administration and the police against them.

Nakul Sonar, the chairman of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union (TCBSU), said that so far they had not received any allegation that a tea worker has had to pay money to anyone in order to get a house or land under the Cha Sundari scheme.

Ritabrata Banerjee, the state INTTUC president, said: “It is up to the party to look into the issue that he (the minister) has raised at the party meeting. If he had complained about anybody associated with our trade union, we would have surely taken appropriate steps.”

At the same meeting, Baraik also alleged that he was not apprised of the activities of the TCBSU, affiliated with the INTTUC, despite him being from the tea belt.

“He (Baraik) lamented that he was not called at the trade union’s meeting, though he is the minister of tribal affairs and though there is a considerable presence of tribals in the tea belt from where he hails,” said a source.