NEW DELHI, July 14 (RIA Novosti) - Production of the world-famous Darjeeling tea in northeast India has been brought to a standstill by a strike led by an ethnic Nepali separatist group, national media said.
The strike, organized by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha, began on Monday. Activists are demanding their own federal "Gorkhaland" state and the removal of senior police officers guilty of "oppressing" the Nepali-speaking Gorkha community living in the Darjeeling hills in the West Bengal state.
The government has dismissed the demands as 'illogical,' the Hindu daily said.
The director of a local tea council told RIA Novosti that the strike could have a negative impact on the quality of tea production.
"If the leaves are not picked on time and continue growing, the quality of the tea will worsen every day," he warned.
Up to 100 tons of Darjeeling tea is produced every day.
