Left divided over talks with Maoists

The CPI(M), which has accused the Maoists of supporting the Trinamool Congress-backed land agitation in Nandigram and Singur, said it was not ready for talks with the rebels unless they shed arms. “As long as they think they must launch an armed struggle against all parties like us... it is difficult to initiate dialogue with them,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said.

However, RSP general secretary T J Chandrachoodan favoured initiation of dialogue with “the misguided Leftists” to bring them back to the Left democratic mainstream.

“Even though the extremists are a politically misguided lot... We should try our level best to bring them back to the fold of Left democratic mainstream,” Chandrachoodan said.

CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said: “We must recognise that the established Left’s goals and those of the Naxalites were the same, but the latter adopt a different method to achieve it. They have to be drawn into the mainstream and we must lend them support,” he said.