Fundamental differences cropped up last week at a secret meeting in West Bengal between leaders of the UML, the main opposition in parliament, and Comrade Prachanda, the strongman of the underground Maoists .

The UML Monday confirmed for the first time party general secretary Madav Nepal’s meeting with Prachanda took place at Silghudi, West Bengal’s second largest city, where the rebels were holding a central committee meeting to plan strategy for talks with the government to end an

insurgency that has claimed more than 1,800 lives in nearly six years.

“The issues such as interim government, new constitution, constituent assembly and the establishment of a republic are likely to endanger the country’s independence, weaken the entire communist movement and there is also danger of us losing the gains of the 1990 movement,” the party warned in a statement.

These are all issues raised by the Maoists for talks with the government of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba who launched a peace initiative since assuming office last month.

The UML pressed for broad left unity at the talks. The UML asked the rebels to abandon violence and join the political mainstream, the party said in a press statement. Lilamani Pokhrel, leader of the Samyuktha Janamorcha, denied in an earlier statement  he met the breakaway leader of his party in Silgudi.

“We had gone to attend a meeting of Nepalese living in India. We did not meet any Maoist leader,” Pokhrel said. The meeting between Maoists and the communists of the political mainstream took place amid efforts by the UML and its breakaway faction the ML to forge unity; ML leader Bamdev Gautam also met Prachanda, reports said.

Other parties have not confirmed the secret meeting. Bhaktapur communist leader Narayanman Bijukche was also at the meeting, published reports said.

The communist leaders were absent from parliament when Deuba made what is now emerging as a controversial statement to reduce holdings after freezing the sale and transfer of land nation-wide.