October 23, 2007	Tuesday	Shawwal 10, 1428

NEW DELHI, Oct 22: The Indian government and its communist allies agreed on Monday to hold one last meeting next month over a nuclear deal with the United States, clearly indicating that New Delhi had backtracked on pushing the pact. Here are some facts about India’s communist parties, who have strongly opposed the deal, and their role in politics:

Who are Singh’s communist allies?

— Four main left parties shore up Singh’s coalition from the outside. They together have 60 MPs in the 545-member lower house or parliament. The Communist Party of India (Marxist), with 43 MPs, is the largest.

How significant are they?

— The communists form the third largest group in parliament after the ruling Congress (145 seats) and the Hindu nationalist opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (138 seats).

Singh’s coalition would fall without their support and they have used their position to influence policy and block crucial economic reform.

Which states are they in power in?

— Communist governments rule three of India’s 29 states.

They have been in power in the eastern state of West Bengal for three decades, making it the world’s longest-serving democratically elected communist government.

They have also intermittently ruled the southern state of Kerala and the small, northeastern state of Tripura.

Why do the Communists oppose the nuclear deal?

— Slamming the accord in August 2007, the communists said it compromises Indian sovereignty by drawing it closer into a strategic relationship where the US could dictate terms. They have threatened to end support to Singh’s coalition if it went ahead with the deal.

When did the communist groups first formed?

— The Communist Party of India (CPI) was founded in the 1920s by anti-imperialists inspired by the Soviet Union’s 1917 revolution. It defined its revolt as not against British colonials or India’s rich, but the capitalist economic system and India’s caste system.

— A number of factions emerged after independence in 1947.

— In 1964, a disillusioned CPI faction split to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M). It had 814,408 members in 2002.

—Reuters