BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi Tuesday said the "solution" to the Darjeeling issue would be found through discussion.
Asked about the formation of Gorkhaland by carving out Darjeeling Hills from West Bengal, Modi told ABP News in an interview: "We cannot look away from the regional aspirations of the people. It is not right to suppress their regional aspirations."
"I am sympathetic to the needs of the people and I understand it. I think discussion is the only way to find a solution," he added.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has opposed the division of the state, but the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha has been demanding a separate Gorkhaland state.
