Bimal Gurung’s supporters on Tuesday packed a community hall at St Mary-Tung area near Kurseong with people for him to address them from Calcutta through videoconference.

Gurung explained in detail the need for a new pact with Trinamul and tried to flag off issues to his core constituency in tea gardens.

Gurung’s party office at Patlebas, Darjeeling, also opened on Tuesday after a gap of more than three years.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha leader (Gurung faction) has started addressing large gatherings of party supporters through videoconferencing after three years, in an apparent bid to recover lost ground amid his prolonged absence from the hills after the Gorkhaland agitation of 2017.

“Till now we have not sold the pride, the self-respect of our community,” Gurung said, emphasising he had told in “clear-cut” terms (to Trinamul) that his party could not forget the Gorkhaland demand.

This statement acquires added significance as Gurung resurfaced on October 21 in Calcutta after three years to declare he was severing ties with the BJP-led NDA and support Trinamul in the upcoming Bengal polls, a party which has been against the separate-statehood demand.

Though Trinamul does not support the statehood demand, Gurung’s speech showed he was committed to the cause of Gorkhaland. “I explained during a news meet (in Calcutta) that during the 2024 Lok Sabha election we will support whichever party that takes forward the Gorkhaland demand,” added Gurung.

Politically, Gurung said, it was a do-or-die situation. “We were of the opinion that 2021 was most important and we had to take a swift decision keeping in the mind the (Bengal) election,” said Gurung, adding that a wrong decision would mean “the party would have died and along with it the issue (of Gorkhaland)...”

Without taking names, Gurung alluded that the political chapter of rival Binay Tamang would “close” within a few days.

Launching a multi-pronged attack on Tamang, who heads a breakaway faction of the Morcha, Gurung said that there were allegations of corruption in appointment of teachers and the interest of tea workers had not been taken care of.

“During my tenure we always ensured a 20 per cent bonus at one go (this year the tea gardens decided to pay bonus in two instalments of 15 and 5 per cent). After I return I promise tea workers that you will get a 20 per cent bonus in 2021,” said Gurung.

The 87-odd tea gardens in the hills employ around 70,000 tea workers.

Along with the welfare of tea garden workers, employment would be another core area of focus, he added.

“Difficult times” faced by his supporters on the run — Gurung said he too was on the run for the sake of the “community” despite having lived like a king (in Darjeeeling) — was another key point of his speech on Tuesday.