Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 29 (NationPress) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan declared a halt on the PM SHRI initiative within the state and established a seven-member committee of state ministers, led by Education Minister V. Sivankutty, to reassess the scheme.

"The implementation of the PM SHRI scheme will stay frozen until the committee submits its report," the Chief Minister stated following Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, noting that the decision would be communicated to the Centre.

Vijayan avoided answering numerous inquiries regarding his shift in stance, emphasizing that everyone should await the committee’s findings.

This decision emerges as the internal discord within the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) regarding the controversial Central education scheme appears to have settled, with the CPI-M conceding to the CPI’s firm position and agreeing to a compromise.

After days of tensions that nearly fractured the ruling coalition, the state government announced the freeze and will soon send a formal notification to the Centre regarding this.

Earlier, CPI General Secretary D. Raja mentioned in Delhi that the PM-SHRI matter "has been resolved for the time being."

“All four of our ministers will participate in the Cabinet meeting. We oppose the National Education Policy (NEP), and that stance remains firm. The government will inform the Centre accordingly,” he said.

The CPI-M’s reassessment follows significant objections from its ally, the CPI, which warned of political repercussions if the government proceeded with the agreement.

Senior leaders from the ruling front indicated that this conciliatory step has averted a major coalition crisis and ensured the attendance of all CPI ministers at Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting.

On the contrary, former BJP state President K. Surendran labeled the Kerala government’s decision to withdraw from the PM SHRI agreement as "self-destructive" and detrimental to the interests of the state’s students.

He stated that Education Minister Sivankutty had himself acknowledged there were no flaws in the PM SHRI scheme.

"The state cannot simply abandon the agreement. We cannot act unilaterally, and all clauses of the MoU must be respected," Surendran asserted.

He added that Vijayan wouldn’t be able to back out of the pact solely to placate the CPI.

“By yielding to political pressure, the government is depriving Kerala’s children of the advantages available to their peers across India,” he claimed. Surendran expressed that this move has tarnished the government’s credibility and called for an apology to the state’s academic community and the public.

He also accused the CPI of "hubris that will harm the state," asserting that its obstinacy forced the LDF government into a decision that is harmful to Kerala’s educational interests.