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Tensions within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) have sharpened on Thursday after Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty publicly criticised the CPI over the state's withdrawal from the Centre's PM SHRI school project.
CPI is the second biggest ally of the LDF government led by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
Sivankutty, visibly upset by the decision, said the government had taken a "collective and considered stand" after prolonged deliberations, and there was no question of anyone "teaching the CPI(M) how to uphold Left values".
Incidentally, on Wednesday at the weekly cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Vijayan informed that a letter of withdrawal to the Centre has been dispatched.
The CPI(M), he said, had pursued the PM SHRI agreement purely to secure constitutionally entitled central funds while firmly protecting Kerala's secular and progressive education system.
"We had ensured there would be no compromise on our secular ethos," Sivankutty said, adding that the decision to backtrack was taken only after consultations and should not be portrayed as a CPI victory.
He hinted that the withdrawal had jeopardised access to Rs 15,000 crore in SSK (Samagra Shiksha Kerala) funds.
"If those funds are withheld, the responsibility does not lie with me as Education Minister," he asserted.
Reacting to Sivankutty's jibe, CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam, responding with deliberate restraint, said there was "no need for a flare-up".
"I do not know why Sivankutty is so agitated," he remarked, declining to engage in a public spat.
"As state secretary, I will not comment further. Political maturity is what is needed now. I am not a teacher to Sivankutty; if anyone has to advise him, let the CPI(M) leadership do it."
Viswam reiterated that "withdrawing from PM SHRI is a victory for Left ideology", while clarifying that the PM SHRI and SSK schemes were distinct and that the BJP was "deliberately trying to conflate the two".
"The SSK fund is Kerala's rightful due, and the LDF will deal with the Centre if it plays foul," he said.