GUWAHATI, March 1 � Demanding allotment of at least one seat by all political parties for candidates belonging to the community, the Asom Gorkha Sammelan (AGS) today threatened to field its own candidates in case parties fail to fulfill its demand.
Addressing the media here, AGS general secretary Bhaskar Dahal said that though Gorkhas number over 30 lakh in Assam, the community has not been given proper representation in the political arena by major parties.
�As over 60 per cent of Gorkhas in Assam have been supporting the Congress over the decades, the ruling party should allot the Tezpur Lok Sabha seat to a member of our community during the forthcoming polls. Tezpur has the highest number of Gorkha voters in Assam,� he said.
Dahal added, "Other parties like the AGP and the BJP should also field at least one Gorkha candidate from any of the 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. If none of the major parties field Gorkha candidates, the AGS, in consultation with other Gorkha outfits and members of other communities, will be forced to field Independent candidates from various seats."
Asked if the AGS wants the Congress to give ticket to controversial former MP MK Subba from Tezpur, Dahal said �It is an internal issue of Congress about whom they allot the ticket. Our only demand is that the ruling party should field a Gorkha candidate from Tezpur. They have been fielding a Gorkha candidate from Tezpur during past elections and the trend should not be broken.�
