THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A day after the Left government signed an MoU with the Centre on implementing PM SHRI in the state, major differences have cropped up within the LDF, with CPI’s open opposition, terming it a breach of coalition ethics. In a clear divide within the Left, the CPI, the second largest constituent in the LDF, lashed out at the CPM and LDF leaderships for keeping CPI ministers in the dark and a lack of collective responsibility in the cabinet.
The CPM leadership, meanwhile, chose to play down the issue saying discussions will be held with the CPI, once Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan returns to the state from abroad. Speaking for the government, General Education Minister V Sivankutty termed the signing of MoU as a tactical move to get pending central funds.
The CPM also got support from another key ally Kerala Congress (M). Throwing his weight behind the CPM, KC(M) chairman Jose K Mani on Friday said his party does not believe that a project should be opposed solely because it is a central project.
The CPI, which held an emergency secretariat meeting on Friday to discuss the issue, sent a letter to the party national leadership terming the government move a ‘conspiratorial act’.
CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam shot off a letter to the CPM state secretary and LDF convener accusing them of breaching coalition norms by failing to hold consultations with front partners. He demanded that this style of functioning be corrected. Speaking to the media, Binoy Viswam said though the PM SHRI was included twice in the cabinet agenda in December 2024, and April 2025, it was kept away, as no policy decision was taken.
“The issue was discussed neither in the cabinet nor in the LDF. A government cannot be run by keeping its ministers in the dark. This is not the style of LDF. It must uphold Left values in both word and deed,” he said. He further said that the PM SHRI project is essentially a showcase of the National Educational Project (NEP). “The MoU was signed in unusual haste,” he said.
According to CPI insiders, the party was taken by surprise by the manner in which approval was granted for the project. At the secretariat meet, though party ministers K Rajan, G R Anil, J Chinchurani and P Prasad informed the leadership of their willingness to abide by any decision taken by the party, the secretary and others opted for a consensus path. The CPI will convene the party state executive on October 27 in Alappuzha to take a final call on the matter.
The executive meeting has been scheduled to coincide with the CM’s return to the state. The KC(M)’s position has also bolstered the CPM’s political standing. It feels KC(M) support would enable the party to politically counter the pressures from the CPI.
Sivankutty said the government adopted the tactical move to overcome the Centre’s plan to economically strangle the state by withholding thousands of crores that are rightfully due to the state’s students. Signalling a shift in policy, Sivankutty said the LDF’s opposition to the National Education Policy (NEP) was not permanent. “What is wrong with NEP?” the minister responded to media queries about LDF constituent CPI’s argument that rollout of PM SHRI is linked to total implementation of NEP.
(With inputs from Sovi Vidyadharan & Abhilash Chandran)
