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Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 24 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday confirmed its decision to go ahead with the central government’s PM SHRI scheme, while its Left ally CPI expressed strong objection to signing the agreement.
CPI-M state secretary MV Govindan said there was no change in the party’s position and the issues raised by allies could be resolved amicably through discussion.
“Kerala is entitled to receive Rs 8,000 crore under the PM SHRI project. The Center should release the funds without imposing conditions that undermine the financial autonomy of the state,” he said.
Accusing the central government of adopting policies detrimental to states like Kerala, Govindan said the Center was imposing stringent conditions which could adversely affect economic growth.
“We oppose policy positions that amount to an economic blockade of the states,” he said.
However, Govindan clarified that the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government cannot implement every policy decision of the front.
“The government has its own limitations. It cannot implement every policy decision of the LDF,” he said.
The CPI-M state secretariat meeting chaired by Govindan decided not to back out of the project despite strong opposition from the CPI.
The CPI-M leader pointed out that the Congress-ruled states were the first in the country to sign the PM Modi accord.
However, he reiterated that the Centre’s plan imposes financial restrictions that effectively act as an economic blockade against states like Kerala.
“We oppose such policy-driven conditions,” he stressed.
The CPI has accused the government of violating front discipline by signing the agreement unilaterally, ignoring CPI-M leader MA Baby’s earlier assurance that the issue would be discussed within the LDF first.
The party argues that the move weakens Left unity and has resolved to express its dissatisfaction to the CPI-M national leadership.
Despite internal disagreements, the CPI-M leadership is adamant on going ahead with the PM SHRI initiative, and ensuring that the financial benefits to Kerala are not seized due to policy disagreements.
–IANS
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