The Opposition Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on Wednesday locked horns over the implementation of the Centrally-funded PM SHRI (Prime Minister Schools for Rising India) scheme in Kerala, with both sides taking potshots at each other and accusing the other of “surrendering to the Sangh Parivar agenda.”

The Opposition, which gave a Rule 50 notice seeking to discuss the issue in the House by suspending the Assembly proceedings, argued that although the previous LDF government had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Centre for the implementation of the scheme in Kerala in October 2025, the State government withdrew from the scheme within just 20 days after requesting the Centre to keep the MoU in abeyance, considering the larger interests of the State, said Opposition Leader Pinarayi Vijayan.

Further, the State did not initiate any follow-up measures related to the implementation of the scheme, such as constituting district- and State-level committees, selecting schools in each block, and uploading their details on the online portal as demanded by the Centre, following the government’s decision to withdraw from the scheme, Mr. Vijayan said. The present ruling front, which was in the Opposition at that time and had claimed that it would “throw PM SHRI into the Arabian Sea if it came to power”, is now pursuing the project without any shame, he added.

P. Prasad, MLA, who sought the House’s permission to raise the issue, wondered why the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) “lacked the courage” to categorically state that PM SHRI would not be implemented in the State.

Minister’s response

However, rejecting the Opposition’s allegations, General Education Minister V. Shamsudheen said that the UDF had not taken any stance on the issue, although the previous government had taken crucial steps towards implementing the project, thereby placing the present government in a difficult situation.

What the current government has done is appoint a Cabinet sub-committee to study the scheme, and the State will take a decision only after examining the report submitted by the committee. The State government will not take any decision that caters to the Sangh Parivar agenda, the Minister said.

Following the Minister’s reply, Speaker Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan rejected the Opposition’s demand to adjourn all other business to discuss the issue, prompting Opposition members to stage a walkout from the Assembly.