Kerala PM SHRI row: CPI ministers to skip cabinet meet scheduled for Wednesday

Alappuzha: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided that its four ministers will not attend the Kerala Cabinet meeting scheduled for Wednesday, deepening the rift within the ruling Left coalition over the PM SHRI schools scheme.

The decision was taken during the CPI secretariat meeting held on Tuesday. Ministers K Rajan, P Prasad, G R Anil and J Chinchu Rani will stay away from the session.

State council to decide next move

The CPI State Council is set to meet on November 4 to chart the party’s further course of action on the issue.

Talks between Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam on Monday in Alappuzha failed to end the impasse over the PM SHRI agreement.

Talks with CM fail to resolve dispute

After the meeting, Viswam told reporters, “The issue we raised has not been resolved. We held talks with the CM, and it was very cordial. But no solution was found to the issues. So our concern remains. The next step will be informed later.”

When asked whether CPI ministers would boycott the Cabinet meeting, he said the decision would be announced by the party leadership at the appropriate time.

Dispute rooted in PM SHRI MoU

The CPI has objected to the state government signing the memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre for the PM SHRI scheme without consulting the Cabinet. The party said it only learned about the agreement through media reports.

Both CPI and CPM have consistently opposed the Union government’s National Education Policy (NEP) and the PM SHRI scheme, alleging that they form part of the RSS’s broader agenda to influence India’s education system.

Education minister defends MoU

Meanwhile, state Education Minister V Sivankutty defended the decision, saying the MoU was signed solely to secure central education funds. He assured that Kerala’s school curriculum would remain unchanged despite the agreement.