PM SHRI row: Satheesan slams CM, says he cheated CPI, people of Kerala

Alappuzha: The Kerala government’s secret move to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the BJP-led Central government for the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme has triggered a political controversy across the state.

Addressing the media here on Saturday, Leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan launched a sharp attack against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for allegedly keeping the CPI — a key LDF ally — and the entire state in the dark. He accused the Chief Minister of aligning with the BJP and concealing the agreement related to PM SHRI from his Cabinet.

He made the statement following a Malayala Manorama report revealing that the MoU was executed on October 16.

“The Chief Minister cheated the CPI as well as Kerala by signing the MoU for PM SHRI. A Cabinet meeting was held on October 22 to discuss the Central scheme. But both the Chief Minister and Education Minister V Sivankutty remained silent about the MoU, which had already been signed on October 16, even when CPI Minister K Rajan opposed the scheme,” Satheesan alleged.

“The mystery behind the Chief Minister’s decision to implement PM SHRI in Kerala must be uncovered. There could be a conspiracy or even blackmail involved. Neither the Cabinet nor CPM central committee member M A Baby was informed about the MoU. CPI secretary Binoy Viswam had already questioned the unusual haste behind this move,” he added.

The Opposition leader also criticised Education Minister V Sivankutty for defending the secret move to ink the agreement.

“Sivankutty claimed that the state decided to implement PM SHRI to secure Central funds. He argued that Kerala is facing a financial crisis and that funds are necessary for children attending public schools. But the Chief Minister and other ministers had earlier asserted that there was no financial crisis in the state. The LDF government had also declared that all public schools were upgraded using KIIFB funds. Now, the Education Minister says the department desperately needs Central assistance. There are serious contradictions in the statements of the ministers. Whatever the case, the truth behind the PM SHRI agreement must come out,” Satheesan said.

On Friday, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam criticised the government’s decision to join PM SHRI and sent a letter to LDF convener T P Ramakrishnan seeking a discussion within the front over the issue.

He questioned how the LDF could function if major decisions were taken without discussion or consultation, keeping constituent parties in the dark.

The CPI has warned that the move could pave the way for implementing the National Education Policy (NEP) in Kerala — something the Left has strongly opposed. The requirement to display boards identifying institutions as PM SHRI Schools has also caused unease among party leaders.

Sivankutty's claims
However, Minister Sivankutty told the media that the decision to join the PM SHRI scheme was a strategic move to access withheld Central funds.
He explained that the Centre had frozen allocations under the Samagra Shiksha programme because Kerala had not joined PM SHRI. The funds withheld include ₹188.58 crore for 2023–24, ₹513.54 crore for 2024–25, and ₹456.01 crore from previous years, he added.

The cumulative loss amounts to ₹1,158.13 crore. By signing the PM SHRI agreement now, the state will be able to reclaim these pending funds along with allocations for the ongoing programme — a total of ₹1,477.13 crore, of which ₹971.01 crore has already been approved by the Centre, the minister said.

Sivankutty noted that the withholding of funds directly affects nearly 40 lakh students in public schools, including 5.61 lakh SC/ST students and 1.11 lakh differently abled children who depend on special support, therapy facilities, and assistive devices.

He clarified that signing the PM SHRI agreement does not mean that Kerala has accepted the National Education Policy (NEP) 2022.