Hundreds of supporters of the Anit Thapa-led Bharatiya Gorkha Prajatantrik Morcha marched through the streets of Kurseong on Sunday to celebrate the Bengal government’s decision to provide land rights to tea estate dwellers in the state.

Along with tea workers and their families, the supporters organised a rally under the banner of Hill Terai Dooars Plantation Workers’ Union (HTDPWU), the party’s labour wing, from Kurseong Tourist Lodge to the the Kurseong railway station. Here, a number of BGPM leaders spoke on the issue.

D.K. Pradhan, a vice-president of the party's central committee and also a legal adviser to the party, said that before now those in power in the state or in the hills had never considered the importance of conferring land rights to thousands living in tea estates.

“Eventually, the state government has made this decision and fulfilled a longstanding demand. Now, after several years, the names of tea garden residents would be registered as landowners in state government’s records. Dwellers will get documents to confirm their legal right on the land,” he said.

In the hills, the demand for land rights was raised time and again by residents of the rural areas, especially those living in tea estates. Hill parties and even Trinamul and the BJP flagged the issue several times.

Those who participated in Sunday's rally said the unprecedented decision would expedite socio-economic development of the hills.

“Our leader Anit Thapa has relentlessly pursued the issue with the state government. His efforts have finally led to results and we will ultimately have rights on our land. It is a major achievement,” said Subhash Pradhan, the president of BGPM’s Kurseong branch committee.

In the last two years, Thapa and his party have emerged as a major political force across the hills. The BGPM managed to secure a majority in the GTA elections. It bagged most of the seats in the two-tier panchayat poll recently held in the hills after a gap of over 22 years.

J.B. Tamang, the president of the plantation workers' union, said having land rights would largely reduce the worries of tea workers and their families.

“These people have been living in tea estates for generations and yet so far didn’t have any right on their land, whether in hills or in the Terai and the Dooars. Now they are relieved that no one can evict them from the land. They can also avail financial assistance under various schemes to improve their dwelling units,” he said.