THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The CPI leadership, which has taken an uncharacteristically belligerent posture over the Left government signing the PM SHRI agreement with the Centre, has been fighting a desperate battle to regain its pride within the front.
Even as an agitated CPI leadership decided to ‘explore all possible options the leadership is not in favour of the party taking any extreme positions like parting ways with the Left front. Moreover the party doesn’t want to escalate the issue further due to limited options.
On the other hand, with back-to-back elections coming up, the CPM doesn’t want the matter to continue in this vein. The CPM is looking at the possibility of slow pedaling implementation of the project or freezing the MoU for the time being. The party feels that it would pacify the CPI for the time being, hoping for a consensus within the LDF later.
“The education minister has referred the matter to the party. Since it came up before the cabinet twice, signing it without keeping them in the loop could have been avoided.
The government can now write to the Centre saying that since it’s a policy matter, some more time is needed for implementation,” said a senior CPM leader.
With Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan making it clear that the state cannot withdraw from the project, the CPI wants the government to look at possible legal and political options.
“The government can take a political position and write to the Centre clarifying that the state would not be able to meet all conditions in the PM SHRI scheme for the time being. The LDF can discuss and entrust someone to move the Supreme Court,” said a senior CPI leader, on condition of anonymity.
At a time when the CPI has been facing internal issues, the recent controversy has united the party to take up the fight against the CPM.
“The CPI ministers plan to skip the cabinet meet to convey our protest. PM SHRI is an out-and-out RSS project. What’s the relevance of the LDF if we fail to resist this RSS move?” asked another senior leader.
It’s for the chief minister and the CPM to respond to the party’s demand, CPI general secretary D Raja told TNIE.
“We have been opposing NEP 2020. We cannot compromise with the BJP-RSS. The government took the decision without any consultations. We’ve made our position clear. Now the ball is in the court of the CPM,” Raja said.
There are indications that the Congress has sent feelers to the CPI leadership that the UDF would accommodate the latter, if it parts ways with the CPM. The CPI, however, hasn’t responded positively.
“How can we join hands with the Congress that has implemented PM SHRI in states ruled by them?” asked a senior CPI leader.
