Thiruvananthapuram, 29 October(HS): Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPI(M) were made to eat humble pie by the poor cousins CPI on Wednesday as the Kerala Government put on hold the decision to go ahead with the PM-SHRI scheme, a revolutionary school education system launched by the Narendra Modi-led Government.

The CPI leaders, especially its Kerala Secretary Binoy Viswam and the National Secretary D Raja, were of the view that a system which was not available to them during their school days should never be allowed to the Generation Next. The CPI leadership was of the view that the PM-SHRI and the National Education Policy 2020 were a mission to saffronise the school education in India by the RSS. Following the compromise made by the CPI(M), the CPI ministers in the council of ministers would take part in the weekly cabinet meeting to be held later in the day.

“Kerala will not teach about RSS leaders or its ideology in the PM-SHRI scheme. We are free to withdraw from the scheme whenever we feel that it is not practical in Kerala,” Minister for Education V Sivankutty had told the CPI leadership. But the comrades demanded immediate withdrawal from the PM-SHRI scheme.

The CPI had threatened the chief minister that their ministers would stay away from the weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday, despite the assurance by the CPI(M) leaders that the concerns of the poor cousins would be taken into account before implementing the scheme. But that did not satisfy Viswam, whose hatred for Chief Minister Vijayan is well known. The Kerala Government will write to the Centre that the MoU signed between them and the Centre is being put on hold because there were some issues that remain unresolved.

It is reported that D Raja felt hurt following the indifference shown by M A Baby, the CPI(M) general secretary, towards the former’s plea not to go ahead with the PM SHRI scheme. It was with tearful eyes that Raja told Baby to stay away from decisions which would strengthen the RSS. Last Sunday saw Raja skipping his favourite lunch, consisting of caviar and pork fried rice, to meet Baby.

The CPI was waiting for an opportunity to teach Vijayan a lesson, and Wednesday’s decision to make the latter dance to Viswam’s and Raja’s tunes has come as a major setback to the octogenarian chief minister. Wednesday’s events will lead the CPI to make much stronger demands, especially during the assembly election coming up early next year. The party has started hunting for prospective workers to be fielded as candidates, as there is a shortage of party activists in the State.

Hindusthan Samachar / Manohar Yadavatti