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The Communist Party of India’s (CPI) meeting with Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan regarding the state government's decision to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Union government for the PM SHRI scheme did not end in positive results. Speaking to the media on October 27, after the meeting, Binoy Viswam, the state secretary of CPI, said that their concerns remain unresolved.
Tensions have escalated between the CPI, which is the second-largest ally in the ruling front, and the state government after Kerala signed the PM SHRI MoU.
“We had a discussion with the Chief Minister, but we still do not have a resolution for our concerns,” said Binoy Viswam. When asked for more details about the meeting, he stated that the CPI would share information at the “right time”.
The CPI had opposed the PM SHRI scheme during two previous Cabinet meetings. However, the state government decided to sign the MoU citing financial constraints. The MoU was signed without the consent of the Cabinet and alliance parties. Earlier reports suggested that the Kerala government signed the MoU on October 23. However, subsequent reports indicated that the agreement was signed on October 16.
Opposition to the PM SHRI schemes largely stems from worries that the state government will be forced to implement the controversial National Education Policy (NEP). The scheme has been opposed by the Tamil Nadu and West Bengal governments as well, citing state rights.
Meanwhile, Union Education Secretary Sanjay Kumar has said that Kerala had agreed to sign the MoU as early as March 2024. Speaking to Asianet News, Sanjay Kumar stated, “The Kerala government had given us an undertaking in March 2024 that they would sign the MoU.” He also clarified that the PM SHRI scheme does not require mandatory implementation of the NEP-recommended syllabus.