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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24 (IANS) The Kerala CPI(M) Secretariat met here on Friday and decided to retain the government’s signature on the Prime Minister’s School for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme, confirming that the state will not back down from the initiative.
The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by CPI(M) state secretary MV Govindan. Notably, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan were absent.
The party also announced that a broader Left Democratic Front (LDF) meeting will be held after October 29 to iron out differences among the allies.
This comes amid voices of dissent from within the LDF, with the CPI opposing the move.
PM Modi’s signing move has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leader VD Satheesan, who alleged that the government has signed the agreement without even consulting the CPI, the second largest party in the LDF.
Satheesan termed the decision as one-sided and accused the CPI(M) of acting as a “link” between the BJP and the LDF, pointing out that the agreement was signed soon after the chief minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“The government is now implementing the RSS agenda. The CPI(M) did not even consult its central leadership before moving ahead. This proves that the party gives more importance to the BJP than its allies,” he said. Satheesan clarified that the opposition is not against accepting central funds, but has objection to accepting the Centre’s conditions unconditionally.
He said the Congress-ruled states signed the PM Shri Yojana only after ensuring that there was no ideological bond attached.
“Here, the government signed without any objection. What we protest is not the funding but the blind submission to the Centre’s conditions,” he said. He said there was no discussion within the cabinet or the LDF before signing the agreement.
Highlighting the political implications, Satheesan said it is for the CPI to decide whether it should continue in the LDF after “tolerating such humiliation”.
He also criticized the Chief Minister for succumbing to political pressure and said, “His stand changed only after meeting the Prime Minister. It seems that the Chief Minister is afraid of the Centre.”
Meanwhile, Congress-led UDF convenor and Lok Sabha member Adoor Prakash said the UDF has no issue in accommodating the CPI if the UDF decides to walk out from the LDF. “The decision should be theirs,” Prakash said.
–IANS
SG/DPB