Communist Party of India (CPI) State executive committee member and former Minister V.S. Sunil Kumar has said that the Left Democratic Front government (LDF) should not implement PM SHRI scheme in State schools as it is meant to propagate the political ideals of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
He was delivering a speech at an event organised by the CPI to mark the party’s centenary celebrations here on Sunday (October 26, 2025) evening.
Mr. Sunil Kumar said that the PM SHRI project was part of the National Education Policy 2020 brought in by the Union government, which was an attempt to intrude into the federal rights of State governments. He said that though it was a fact that the Centre had been denying funds under the Samagra Shiksha, Kerala, to the State since 2019, the government should have fought for its rights legally instead of caving into pressure and signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to implement the PM SHRI scheme.
He cited the example of case related to the denial of funds for the rehabilitation of the Mundakkai-Chooralmala landslide survivors, in which the High Court ruled against the Union government. Referring to the argument that the CPI was unhappy because it was not consulted before signing the MoU, he said that his party was not highlighting this as a violation of coalition principles. Mr. Sunil Kumar pointed out that it was a political issue related to the insertion of RSS ideology in the education sector.
Amarjeet Kaur, national secretary, CPI, and Sathyan Mokeri, CPI State assistant secretary, among others, also spoke.
Published – October 26, 2025 08:50 pm IST
