Thiruvananthapuram (Keralam) [India], June 24 (ANI): Opposition MLAs in Keralam staged a walkout from the Assembly on Wednesday in protest against the Speaker's decision to disallow the adjournment motion notice seeking discussion on the implementation of the PM Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) scheme in the state.
LDF MLAs P Prasad, KK Ramachandran and PK Praveen submitted an adjournment motion notice, seeking suspension of House proceedings to discuss concerns over the government's decision to constitute a Cabinet sub-committee and initiate steps to implement the PM SHRI scheme.
Before the walkout, Leader of Opposition, Pinarayi Vijayan, issued a sharp rebuttal to Education Minister N Samsudheen's remarks in the Assembly, stating that the UDF government made a "shameful surrender" on the PM SHRI issue.
Although Minister N Samsudheen told the House that, as per the MoU signed by the previous LDF government, only the Centre has the right to withdraw from the PM SHRI scheme, Vijayan argued that his government kept the agreement in abeyance.
Addressing the Assembly, the former Chief Minister questioned the Congress-led UDF government for forming a Cabinet sub-committee for the PM SHRI scheme, accusing it of abandoning their pre-election stance on the scheme.
The senior CPI(M) leader said, "Education Minister N Samsudheen spoke today with a visible sense of discomfort, as though he was being forced to defend something he had silently witnessed. The UDF government has made a shameful surrender on the PM SHRI issue. Didn't they once say they would throw the scheme into the Arabian Sea if they came to power? Where has that rhetoric gone? Why are they silent now? They made grand claims, but within a month of assuming office, all those positions had changed. In fact, they have now become spokespersons for the scheme."
"What prompted such a dramatic shift in stance? The embarrassment is clearly evident. They now argue that since the previous government signed the MoU, they have no option but to proceed. But eight months have passed since October 2025, and the scheme has still not been implemented in Kerala. That is a fact. Both the Union government and the Supreme Court have made it clear that PM SHRI has not been implemented in the state," he added.
He argued that the scheme can only be implemented in the state if the present UDF government makes a policy decision in its favour.
"The Education Minister referred to the letter sent by the Union Education Secretary on May 8, 2026. That letter merely requested the state to take urgent steps to implement the scheme. If the scheme had already been implemented, why would such a request be necessary? PM SHRI can be implemented in Kerala only if the present government consciously takes a policy decision in its favour. That is the reality. It is already clear that the state government is attempting to take such a decision behind the scenes," he said.
Clarifying the LDF's stance on the issue, he added, "What the LDF government did was not cancel the MoU but keep it in abeyance. The agreement was signed on October 23, 2025, but as part of a conscious policy decision, the LDF government officially informed the Centre on November 12, 2025, within 20 days, that the MoU was being kept in abeyance. That letter reflected the state's position. No further action was taken thereafter. As a result of that stand, the process came to a halt, and the scheme could not be launched in Kerala. That is the fact. PM SHRI has not been implemented in Kerala so far."
Earlier today, Keralam Education Minister N Samsudheen slammed the LDF, stating that the previous government signed an MoU with the Centre, surrendering the state's right to withdraw the PM SHRI scheme.
PM SHRI has been an issue of contention between the LDF and UDF in the run-up to the 2026 Keralam Assembly elections. The UDF had then called it CPI(M)-BJP "backdoor deal." (ANI)
