Of late the invitation from West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to the Maoist leader Prachanda may be described as the beginning of a new polarisation. The Maoists, if they leave violent paths of struggle and join the mainstream politics, are not untouchables to Communists. The Politbureau of the Communist Party has already welcomed the victory of Maoists in Nepal.

Addressing an interaction programme in Kathmandu, Sitaram Yechuri congratulated the Nepalese people for ensuring victory for the Maoists. According to a report published in The Telegraph, Yechuri passed an invitation of the West Bengal CM, on to Prachanda. This is the first international recognition of the Prachanda government and surprisingly it comes from the Communists in India who are not happy with the Indian counterparts of the Nepalese Maoists.

But the Maoist victory in Nepal is not conclusive as the Communist Party of Nepal(Maoist) - CPN(M) captured only 120 out of 240 seats in the direct election. Its 29.3 per cent vote gave it another 102 from 335 seats filled by proportional representation. Prachanda thus has a total of 222 seats out of 575 parliamentary seats. Even if the CPN(M) later bags all the 26 nominated members, it still will have 235 members in a house of 601. Thus the victory of Prachanda is an impressive but not a conclusive one.

Nepal cannot do without India. India can do without Nepal either. Mutual need is bringing Nepal and India closer. The CPI(M) being a close ally to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has prudently welcomed the Maoist government in Nepal. The party has elevated itself to a lofty height by overcoming prejudices against Maoist principles in general. The cooperative bond with the Nepalese Maoist will also help the West Bengal government to deal with the issue of Maoist violence in the state, apart from other issues including that of Nandigram.

The world order has now changed. Even the Maoist Prachanda has hailed capitalists for the development of Nepal. Direct confrontation with the industrialists and capitalists is not the right way of fighting capitalism. The pragmatic chief minister in his invitation to Prachanda has shown his farsightedness again. It is commendable that Prachanda has accepted the invitation. It is predictable as to what the Maoists of West Bengal will say about this honeymoon period between the Communists and the Nepalese Maoists.