There is a difference between the Communist Party of India, Nepal Maoists and those who call themselves Indian Maoists. The Communist Party of Nepal -- Maoists after a period of armed struggle came to the conclusion that in the 21st century even though they may be able to seize power by arms they may not be able to retain it or sustain it.

They also acknowledge that we have to come to terms with democracy. And they will have to work within the democratic set-up. That's why they didn't take the tactical decision, they decided in the strategic sense that -- 'we will have multi-party democracy. Even if we come to power other parties will be there. And we will work with them in a democratic set-up.'

This is the major change as far as the Maoists groups in India are concerned. Although it is very difficult to make out if the Indian Maoists are a single group or not because at times there are many groups working in a decentralised way. But all of them have a common trait that they have taken up guns against political power. As long as that is there, there is no way we can accommodate them.

It is unfortunate that in the areas they are influential and the tactics they have adopted leads to only more and more State repression. The tribal areas are most exploited; they get further suppressed because State repression is being unleashed. Nothing much changes.

The real thing is -- will they be able to politically understand that they should be working amongst the people in a different way? The political support they get has to be translated into power in a different way and not by resorting to arms. And, we don't recognise them (Indian Maoists) as a Left force! Because they are killing us all the time.

As a Left party the CPI-M has acute differences with them. We are the biggest Left contingent and in West Bengal they have already killed more than 30 of our people in the last two years. In Bengal, the Maoists are selectively assassinating our key cadres in four districts on the Bengal-Jharkhand border. So we don't have any political dialogue with them.

Part I of the interview: 'There are people in the Congress and other parties who share our views'

FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) Secretary General Amit Mitra wrote in a prominent newspaper that you are protecting China's national interests.

This is an old, hackneyed accusation against us. Time and again they have taken this to the people and every time they have proved false. I have made it very clear about the nuclear deal that China along with US, along with France and Russia gives an exemption to facilitate the 123 Agreement, still we will oppose it. And, we will still block it.

We have seen that you always criticise Dr Manmohan Singh, but you are very protective of Sonia Gandhi. Why is it so?

No, we don't talk about Dr Manmohan Singh or Sonia Gandhi. Our statements talk about the UPA (United Progressive Alliance)'s policy. When we criticise we say the 'Congress leadership.' We don't look at it as an individual's policy.

Is Sonia Gandhi Centre-to-Left and is Dr Singh right wing?

We link the UPA's policy as the Congress party's policy as they are the biggest party. There may be some individuals in the Congress who may have different views but increasingly the way they are functioning we cannot make that out. She was the chairperson of the UPA-Left co-ordination committee. But that committee is not functioning. She has always heard our views seriously. I don't know much about if they (Prime Minister Singh and Sonia Gandhi) have different economic thinking.

Rediff.com has reported that the UPA government has apprehension that the Left parties, regardless of the nuclear deal, may like to withdraw support on the issue of price rise.

We have just completed our central committee meeting. We have discussed the price rise but in our discussions no question of withdrawal of support was raised by anyone in our party.

Yes, it (the issue of withdrawal of support to the UPA) came up earlier in the context of the nuclear deal. We made it clear last October-November that on the issue of the nuclear deal, we will pull out. But on other issues, we have not come to such a conclusion.

Image: CPI-M veteran Jyoti Basu and UPA Chairman Sonia Gandhi. Photograph: Getty Images

Also see: 'Neither the BJP nor the Congress can ignore us'

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