Ready to die for Gorkhaland: Gurung

He said, "The police administration must understand too. Gorkhaland is for you and your children's better future."

The GTA chief executive alleged that the state government was trying to force the GJM to repeat the violent agitation of 1986, but discounted the possibility.

Gurung also criticised GNLF supremo Subash Ghising, who has announced support to the TMC, of being a person "who sold the esteem of the community for his own benefit".

He alleged that the TMC government was desperately trying to put Ghising in the GTA chief's chair.

"I will give away the GTA post if Ghising wants it. But he must prove his mandate in all the 45 constituencies."

He also demanded that GNLF answer why it "sacrificed" the lives of 1200 people in the name of Gorkhaland, when it was ultimately going to support an 'anti-Gorkhaland party'.

Meanwhile, BJP candidate SS Ahluwalia appealed to the people that they must defeat the TMC which he alleged was breaking the unity of the communities in the hills.

Ahluwalia promised that the first demand he would raise in Parliament would be that of the Gorkhas of Darjeeling.

Pledging to make utmost efforts to solve the "complicated problem" of the Gorkha community, he said his second job would be to act as a bridge between the government and the people to help them realize their dream of forming a separate state.

Ahluwalia assured grant of ST status to the ten Gorkha sub-communities if the BJP came to power at the Centre and said that the Limbu and Tamang communities were able to obtain tribal status when the BJP-led government existed at the Centre in 2003.