Confusion deepens in LDF after Kerala signs PM SHRI deal with Centre

Kerala’s decision to join the Union government’s PM SHRI scheme has triggered a visible rift within the Left Democratic Front (LDF), exposing ideological tensions and communication gaps between its leading partners, the CPI(M) and the CPI.

The move, seen as a reversal of the state’s earlier stand, has surprised many within the coalition, since the Left parties had consistently opposed the National Education Policy, the policy framework under which PM SHRI is implemented.

The CPI(M)-led government now insists that joining the scheme was an unavoidable administrative step to ensure central funding for schools, while the CPI maintains that it amounts to a political compromise inconsistent with the LDF’s collective position.

‘Kerala govt will not endorse NEP’

After months of uncertainty, the Kerala government last week authorised its Education Department to sign a memorandum with the Union Ministry of Education for participation in the PM SHRI programme. Education Minister V Sivankutty clarified that the decision was taken to secure long-pending central assistance and that the scheme would be implemented without endorsing or adopting the NEP. According to him, the state had already suffered financial setbacks for refusing to participate in the centrally-sponsored initiative, which provides funds for developing model schools across the country.

Also Read: CPI toughens stand against Kerala education minister's decision to join PM SHRI

“Kerala has always maintained its own education policy. We will not accept any clause that binds us to the NEP,” Sivankutty told reporters, emphasising that the agreement was signed purely for administrative convenience.

The minister said several student welfare programmes, including those related to mid-day meals and infrastructure, had been affected because the state did not earlier sign the agreement, even though schools under the scheme were already functioning in other states.

CPI criticises govt’s move

The CPI, however, is unconvinced. Party state secretary Binoy Viswam has publicly criticised the government’s move, saying it was taken without adequate consultation within the LDF.

Viswam reiterated that PM SHRI is an extension of the NEP, which the Left has rejected on ideological grounds for promoting centralisation and saffronisation in education.

Also Read: Why signing PM SHRI does not mean ceding ideological ground

“There is no reason for Kerala to accept this scheme now. Nothing in it has changed to justify the turnaround. If at all the government has entered in an MoU with the union government, it is against coalition etiquette, which the LDF needs to follow,” Viswam said, adding that such decisions should have been discussed and cleared at the Front level.

CPI unsure how to respond

The CPI leadership finds itself in a bind over how to respond, with the party state secretariat expected to take a formal stand on the issue on Friday (October 24).

Within the party, there are voices suggesting that the CPI should distance itself from cabinet meetings, and a few leaders have even floated the idea of withdrawing its ministers from the government. However, such a drastic move appears unlikely, with the local body and Assembly elections fast approaching.

‘Decision born out of necessity’

The CPI(M) leadership has responded by describing the decision as one born out of necessity rather than choice.

Party general secretary and former Kerala education minister MA Baby said the government was under immense fiscal pressure and had no option but to access central funds to sustain school development projects. He maintained that the CPI(M) respected the CPI’s concerns and that the issue would be discussed with them.

Also Read: Kerala govt U-turn on PM SHRI opens rift in LDF; CPI blasts CPM

“We can always review the matter, if necessary,” said Baby.

‘Implementation on our terms’

LDF convenor TP Ramakrishnan too defended the government’s decision, arguing that Kerala’s financial crisis has forced the state to look at all possible funding channels. He maintained that joining the PM SHRI scheme does not mean surrendering the state’s autonomy in education.

“The implementation will be on our terms,” he said.

Left’s double standards, says Congress

The opposition Congress has been quick to seize on the discord, accusing the CPI(M) of quietly aligning with the BJP-led Centre. The UDF leadership said the move shows the Left’s double standards, rejecting the NEP in public while signing up for a scheme under it for financial gain.

Also Read: Kerala to team up with TN to demand withheld central funds: Minister Sivankutty

Congress leaders have also questioned why the government reversed its earlier stand without taking the Assembly or the public into confidence.

LDF’s dilemma

Within the Left camp, the dispute has gone beyond the immediate issue of education policy. It has reopened an old fault line between ideological rigidity and administrative pragmatism.

While the CPI insists that the LDF must stand firm on its collective opposition to the NEP, the CPI(M) appears to be prioritising the need to sustain welfare schemes at a time when the state’s finances are under severe strain and central assistance has been repeatedly delayed.

Also Read: Kerala yet to receive Rs 1,186 cr from Centre for development of education: Sivankutty

However, the CPI(M) leadership has dismissed the Congress criticism, arguing that the party has no locus standi to comment, as all Congress-ruled states have already signed the MoU without raising any objection or protest.

Ideological purity vs financial survival

The controversy comes at a politically-sensitive time for the LDF, which has prided itself on its unified opposition to central policies perceived as undermining federalism. The perception that the government yielded to pressure could weaken its credibility among Left supporters and public-sector teacher unions that have long campaigned against the NEP.

Also Read: With its progressive education framework, Kerala takes on Centre’s NEP

For now, the episode has laid bare the uneasy balance the LDF must strike between ideological purity and financial survival — a dilemma that has begun to define governance in Kerala’s strained fiscal climate.