Thiruvananthapuram: Following CPM State Secretary M.V. Govindan’s public dismissal of their relevance—asking “What CPI?”—the CPI leadership, particularly State Secretary Binoy Viswam, is now reeling under immense pressure after the Kerala government unilaterally signed the agreement for the Central Government’s ‘PM SHRI’ education scheme.
Despite the CPI leadership’s assurances to its cadre that they would strongly protest the move and directly communicate their disagreement to the Chief Minister, there is internal confusion regarding how far the party can push back. Leaders fear that heading into the upcoming local body and assembly elections as a party marginalized within the ruling front will severely damage their electoral prospects. Binoy Viswam’s initial reaction, “If the news about signing the PM SHRI agreement is true,” itself underscores the shock and surprise within the CPI leadership.
Betrayal and Secrecy
The failure to honor the assurance given by CPM General Secretary M.A. Baby that the issue would be discussed within the LDF has fueled deep resentment within the CPI. While the CPI believed the issue would be taken up by the LDF convener and the CPM General Secretary, the government was secretly accelerating negotiations in Delhi.
For the past two days, a team including the Public Education Secretary was reportedly camping in Delhi for urgent meetings with Central officials regarding PM SHRI. Crucially, the government and the CPM kept the CPI completely in the dark about these critical developments.
National Education Policy at Stake
The CPI state leadership, which had emphatically asserted in its State Council meetings that they would never allow the implementation of PM SHRI and the National Education Policy (NEP), is now placed in a difficult position. Previous criticisms from the CPI cadre regarding the party’s capitulation to the CPM on issues like the Thrissur Pooram disruption and the ADGP M.R. Ajith Kumar controversy were countered by citing the firm stand taken against PM SHRI. With the government signing the PM SHRI MoU, the CPI’s defense has collapsed, leaving the state leadership facing difficult questions.
The CPI has consistently rejected the Education Minister’s and the government’s argument that they can secure the PM SHRI funds without fully implementing the NEP. The scheme’s document explicitly states that the agreement mandates the full implementation of all provisions of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 as the first condition of the MoU between the State and the Centre. The CPI questioned the practicality of the Education Minister’s claim that they would implement the provisions only partially.
The CPI maintains that accepting this policy undermines the protests and national efforts by Left parties against the NEP. However, as the CPM and the government prioritize securing the pending Central funds, sacrificing their political stance, the critical question remains: how effectively can the CPI mount a sustainable resistance?
