Darjeeling, Dec. 13: Gorkha Janmukti Morcha president Bimal Gurung said here today that mainstream political parties in Bengal were opposing the Gorkhaland demand for political survival.

At the same time, the Morcha leader said, he would join the indefinite fast if the need arose.

Asked what he had to say on the Congress, Trinamul Congress and the CPM stands of not supporting the division of Bengal, Gurung said: “Trinamul and the Congress are sticking to this because of their own political compulsions here.” He did not mention or refer to any party leader while commenting.

However, when asked specifically about Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee’s statement that the government cannot allow small states to be formed because of Telangana, Gurung said: “Are we not Indians? We are not maintaining that we want to go with China and Pakistan. Statehood is guaranteed by the Constitution. Gorkhaland must be formed to strengthen the chicken’s neck area.”

Binay Tamang, the assistant general secretary of the Morcha, while referring to Mukherjee added that the Congress has not taken a stand against statehood. “We believe that Mukherjee’s statement is his personal and not the stand of his party.”

Tamang said such a stand was expected from leaders of all the parties in Bengal. “We are not taking this (stand) seriously as there is a provision in the Constitution where the state (from which the new one is to be carved out) need not pass a resolution in the Assembly. The Centre can go about it on its own,” he said.

The party leaders also said they would participate in the tripartite meeting on December 21. “We will participate but we still maintain that in the given situation it is not very important,” said Tamang. Gurung, on the other hand, said the agitation would be intensified in the days to come. “This time…I along with my central committee leaders could also sit for the hunger strike depending on the situation in the next few days,” said Gurung at his Patlabas office here today.

The party claimed that people from across the hills are writing to the Morcha leadership expressing their desire to participate in the hunger strike.