Turmoil in Kerala ruling LDF over PM SHRI | CPI conveys differences; CPM make U-turn on NEP

Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala is witnessing a major political turmoil with the ruling CPM justifying the decision to implement the PM SHRI (Pradhan Manthri School for Rising India) scheme, whereas CPI, which is the second largest party in the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) government, conveying its strong protest for taking the policy decision without discussion in the LDF.

A meeting of the CPI state executive committee will be held on Monday (October 27) to decide the party's future position. CPI gave a letter to the LDF convenor as well as all other parties conveying the resentment over taking the major policy decision without discussion in the LDF, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said after party state leaders' meeting in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday.

"CPM took the policy decision to implement PM SHRI without discussion in the LDF. It was against the basic principles of the front. The CPI is still of the view that PM SHRI was part of BJP's attempts to impose RSS agenda in the education sector through the National Education Policy - 2020 (NEP)," Viswam said.

Meanwhile, state education minister and CPM leader V Sivankutty said that the government changed its earlier stand against NEP following discussion and it was not possible to oppose NEP for ever, especially since around Rs. 1,500 crore was due from the centre. He also added that the CPM had changed its policy on many such matters like accepting Asian Development Bank funds.

CPM state secretary M V Govindan said that there were limitations for the LDF government in implementing all the policies of the left parties.

With the CPM and CPI at loggerheads, the coming days are quite crucial in Kerala politics.

The Congress already asked why the CPI is continuing in the left-front by suffering the insult from the CPM.

Other coalition partners in the left-front were also learnt to be unhappy over the CPM taking the decision unilaterally. Even as the matter earlier came up before the cabinet twice, it was set aside citing a policy decision of the LDF was required.

It was on Thursday that the state education department signed the memorandum of understanding with the centre for implementing the PM SHRI scheme.

Despite a statement even by CPM general secretary M A Baby that the concerns raised by the CPI will be discussed in the left-front, the government went ahead with the decision.

Even as the education minister tried to claim that no sorts of interventions in the academics would be allowed and the NEP need not be fully implemented as part of PM SHRI, the MoU signed by the state with the centre contradicts with the minister's claim as it mentions implementation of NEP.

The education minister also said that already several centrally sponsored schemes were being implemented in various government departments, including the education department.

The left-parties, including CPM's student outfit Students' Federation of India, had even staged major demonstrations earlier against NEP.