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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 25 (IANS) Even after the high-level meeting held between CPI General Secretary D. Raja and CPI-M General Secretary MA Baby at AKG Bhawan in Delhi on Saturday, the CPI is demanding that the Kerala government cancel its agreement to implement the PM-SHRI scheme.
“Our position is clear, the PM-SHRI agreement should be cancelled,” Raja said. He said the matter was discussed in detail and the CPI hoped that the CPI-M would reconsider its stand.
Baby said that the state leadership of both the parties will resolve the matter.
In Kerala state, Education Minister V. Sivankutty personally met CPI State Secretary Binoy Viswam at the MN Memorial to discuss the issue.
State Food Minister and top CPI leader GR Anil was also present.
After the meeting, Sivankutty confirmed that some matters related to PM-SHRI were discussed, but refused to give details, saying, “I am not going to answer right now, all the problems will be resolved.”
Reports indicate that the minister informed CPI that the government’s decision was aimed at securing central funding. Later, LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan said the LDF would review both the signed agreement and the issues raised by the CPI.
He said that the implications of PM-SHRI in the National Education Policy (NEP) will also be examined and views of all stakeholders will be considered before the final decision.
The CPI has objected to consultation flaws and the alliance protocol, while the CPI-M has defended the state government’s decision.
Party leaders assigned Sivankutty to participate in the reconciliation talks ahead of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s return from abroad tomorrow.
Ramakrishnan expressed confidence that discussions would help resolve the dispute.
The ongoing debate highlights internal tensions within the Left Front as the government balances central directives with coalition sensitivities ahead of important educational reforms.
Meanwhile, it has been reliably learned that even some CPI-M ministers were unaware that the Vijayan government was going ahead with the PM-SHRI program and that a top education official of the state was about to sign it and it was only after news broke on Thursday that it had been signed that many in the Vijayan cabinet were aware of it.
–IANS
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