Thiruvananthapuram: The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala is facing one of its most serious internal crises over the state’s decision to sign the Centre’s PM-SHRI scheme, as the Communist Party of India (CPI) steps up its demand for withdrawal.
Senior CPI leader Prakash Babu on Saturday said, “A political decision has to be made that this PM-SHRI cannot go forward and has to be withdrawn,” asserting that “policy cannot be changed for the sake of funds.” Echoing this sentiment, State Minister for Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani pointed out that the issue had been raised in the Cabinet and opposed at the time. “We had made it clear that this cannot take place. Then how come it was signed?” she asked, highlighting the growing disquiet among CPI ministers.
The CPI has accused the CPI-M of sidelining its allies, calling the signing of the scheme a “violation of front discipline.” Its party mouthpiece, Janayugam, criticised the government for “succumbing to the RSS' fascist agenda.” The CPI’s state executive is scheduled to meet on October 27 to decide its next course of action, with speculation that ministers may even resign if the impasse continues.
However, the CPI-M has maintained that the project will proceed, asserting that issues can still be resolved through dialogue. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, currently on a marathon Middle East tour, is expected to intervene to defuse the tensions.
Leader of the Opposition V. D. Satheesan criticised the sequence of events, saying, “Early this month, Vijayan visited Delhi and met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nitin Gadkari. After a few days, the Centre’s scheme was signed, and CPI ministers felt cheated, even as the national leadership of the CPI-M was kept in the dark.”
Actor-turned Union Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi, however, defended the project, saying it should have been signed earlier. “Now that it has been done, it is good. The beneficiaries of this project are innocent students, not politicians. This initiative is needed to build the next generation,” he said.
The timing of the rift, just ahead of local body polls and with Assembly elections due in April-May, has caused concern among LDF strategists. The CPI’s national secretariat has even drawn parallels with the Left’s “decline” in West Bengal, warning that “political arrogance” could be costly.
With ideological differences widening and tempers flaring, the PM-SHRI dispute has plunged the LDF into its deepest political crisis in recent memory, and all eyes are now on Chief Minister Vijayan to restore normalcy within the alliance.
With IANS inputs