Thiruvananthapuram: A day after the UDF government announced its decision to implement the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme in Kerala, Leader of the Opposition Pinarayi Vijayan launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister V D Satheesan.
Addressing the media here on Thursday, Pinarayi dismissed Satheesan's claims that the previous LDF government had received funds from the Union government under the PM SHRI scheme.
"We never received a single rupee from the Union government after signing the PM SHRI MoU. We only received funds under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. The LDF government had withdrawn from the scheme despite signing the MoU. This decision was also officially communicated to the Union government," the former chief minister asserted.
V D Satheesan had claimed that the LDF government led by Pinarayi Vijayan had received ₹99 crore under the PM SHRI scheme. He also said that the Union government had sanctioned an additional ₹106 crore for Kerala under the scheme.
However, Pinarayi rejected these claims.
Training his guns on Satheesan, Pinarayi also questioned the Chief Minister's claim that withdrawing from the PM SHRI scheme was impossible.
"The Punjab government withdrew from the scheme nine months after signing the MoU. So, it is clear that if a state wants to back out of the scheme, it is very much possible. I cannot understand why the Kerala Chief Minister is arguing that the state cannot withdraw. His claims that the LDF government received funds under the scheme are completely baseless," he said.
He argued that the LDF government neither identified schools to be included under the scheme nor submitted any list to the Union government as required under the MoU. He said the LDF government had effectively frozen the agreement by keeping it "in abeyance."
The Leader of the Opposition also questioned the UDF government's swift move to implement the scheme, reminding it that the front had opposed the initiative in 2025.
He alleged that the UDF had surrendered before the BJP-led NDA government after coming into power in the state.
On June 17, V D Satheesan announced the formation of a four-member committee to examine the implementation of the PM SHRI scheme in Kerala. He said the government was of the view that the Centre should not interfere with the state's authority to determine its school curriculum.
According to him, the state should also have the freedom to decide which schools would be covered under the scheme.