The Rangmook-Cedars tea garden here has closed within two months of a new management taking charge, with Joint Forum, a platform of Opposition parties in the hills, questioning the talks before re-opening.

The management declared a lockout on Monday citing worker "indiscipline".

A pact was inked on February 17 between a group of nine tea unions and Siliguri-based Royal Ruby Tea & Agro Company for the latter to run the garden. Earlier, Shree Narayani and Co. had control of the garden.

Suraj Subba, a leader of Joint Forum, on Tuesday said tea unions wanted a change in Rangmook-Cedars management, but "the same person who left the garden citing cash crisis was brought back through a new company".

A union leader on Tuesday said they didn't know the same businessman was returning.

The businessman, Sanjay Mitruka, in turn, told this reporter he had nothing to hide and that he had a "different set of partners in the earlier company".