HYDERABAD, April 23: India’s communist rebels will not lay down their arms despite the success of their counterparts in the political mainstream in Nepal, a senior leader said on Wednesday.

Political conditions are totally different in India and Nepal, where the former Maoist rebels look likely to become the largest party in the government following April 10 national elections, said Sriramulu Srinivas, a senior leader of the Indian guerillas.

“We will never follow the example of Maoists in Nepal and fight elections,” Srinivas told reporters on Wednesday outside a court in southern India where he was on trial for his role in the assassination of a former state government minister.

“We believe in capturing power through armed struggle,” said Srinivas, who is a member of the rebels’ Central Committee.

The rebels, who call themselves the Communist Party of India (Maoist), say they are inspired by the late Chinese communist revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They have been fighting in several Indian states for decades, demanding land and jobs for agricultural labourers and the poor.—AP