ALAPPUZHA: A meeting convened by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan with CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam and CPI cabinet ministers failed to reach a consensus on the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the Centre’s PM SHRI project.
After the meeting, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam said the concerns raised by the party remained unresolved. “The issues raised by the CPI have not yet been addressed. The party will discuss the matter with state and central leaders, and a final decision will be announced in the coming days,” Viswam told reporters after the meeting with the chief minister at the Alappuzha Guest House on Monday.
Sources said the CPI has decided that its four ministers will abstain from the next cabinet meeting in protest against the government’s move to sign the MoU for the PM SHRI project, a Central government initiative. The CPI state council meeting, scheduled to be held in Thiruvananthapuram on November 4, will decide the party’s future course of action.
The CPI’s decision has triggered a fresh crisis within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which is preparing for the upcoming local body elections. The party convened an urgent meeting of its state executive in Alappuzha on Monday to discuss the issue after the chief minister and education minister decided to proceed with the signing of controversial education-related projects, including the NEP and PM SHRI, without consulting cabinet colleagues.
The CPI has described the MoU as a “betrayal of the people,” arguing that it aligns the state’s education policy with that of the BJP-led Central government and Sangh Parivar organisations.
After learning about the CPI’s move, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan contacted Binoy Viswam and requested a meeting at the Alappuzha Guest House on Monday evening.
The developments have led to a stalemate in relations between the CPI and CPI(M). A similar rift had occurred earlier during the Thomas Chandy controversy, when the CPI took a firm stand that eventually led to Chandy’s removal from the cabinet over a land encroachment case eight years ago.
Monday’s meeting between the chief minister and Viswam began at 3:30 pm and lasted for more than an hour. Following that, the chief minister held discussions with cabinet ministers K. Rajan, P. Prasad, and G. R. Anil, but they remained firm on the party’s position, resulting in a deadlock.