``My age is a factor, but more than my age, my health is a factor. I am trying to improve. We Communists don't give up. But health permitting, I will be there. There's no doubt about it, if such a situation arises,'' 85-year-old Basu told Karan Thapar on BBC world programme, Hardtalk India, to be telecast tomorrow night.

Replying to a question on his candidature for Prime Ministership if CPI (M) was in a position to be part of the Government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha polls, the veteran Marxist recalled that earlier, the party's Central Committee had, in a majority, decided against being part of the Government. He, as also party general secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet, were in a minority on the issue, he added.

But Basu, who was offered PrimeMinistership in 1996, said that before the last elections, the Central Committee decided in Calcutta in clear terms that if such an opportunity arose again, it would have to ``rethink'' its stand.

``It looks like that no party or group will get majority (in the coming polls). If such an opportunity comes, we shall certainly rethink,'' he asserted, while refuting a statement by his son Chandan Basu that he would retire from politics on his 86th birthday on July 8, 2000.

``How can my son, who is a businessman, say when I will retire ? I am refuting it,''he said.

Replying to questions, Basu said as Prime Minister, he would like to have friendly relations with Pakistan, Bangladesh and South-East Asian countries, but his Government would not sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Asked if his policies would be similar to that of BJP's, he said, ``I don't know what the BJP Government is doing. They have already decided to sign the CTBT....They are bringing the Americans....We will not sign theCTBT.''On the economic front, he said, ``I certainly would not be a blind follower of the IMF and the World Bank.''

Basu, who is the longest-serving Chief Minister and has 22 unbroken years in power, admitted that his Government in West Bengal had made mistakes in the initial years and said it had learnt from them.

``Certainly, certainly. There is no doubt about it. We have learnt a lot from those mistakes. They were so many. We didn't quite understand.

``In the euphoria which took place when we came into Government, some extreme things were said and also done. Like gherao, for instance. That has become an English word now. We have banned all that. But at that time, it was much in favour,''he said.

Basu agreed with the interviewer that statements like the one made by the first Left Front Government labour minister Subodh Banerjee that the Government would always take the side of workers in case of a dispute with employers, could have driven away industry and investment from the State.

Basu said,``We tell trade unions something we never used to say before. Now we tell them your demands are of course there, but you have obligations also. What about production and productivity ? Will you leave everything to the management? You have to take interest in that. Never before have we, as trade unionists, said this. Today a new situation has arisen.''

To a question that changes in the last five to six years looked as if they were not products of Marxist policies, but those of market policies, he said that ``even Marxists are market-friendly'' and added that in reality, he could not ignore the market.

The Chief Minister maintained, ``Marxism is a science and if you make mistakes in your analysis, then you go wrong like the (erstwhile) Soviet Union and some East European countries.'' Despite the fall of the Soviet Union, capitalism was not the last word in civilisation, he said, adding, ``we still believe in reformed socialism.''

Basu said he was against the idea of change for the sake of change andasserted that there was ``absolutely no alternative'' to the Left Front in West Bengal ``at the moment. I do not know about later on''.