Thiruvananthapuram | The Opposition CPI(M) and CPI on Thursday accused the UDF government in Kerala of "misleading" the public over the implementation of the PM SHRI school scheme.

They cited the Centre's recent reply in the Rajya Sabha on the release of central funds to support their charge.

Senior CPI(M) leader and former General Education Minister V Sivankutty claimed that documents tabled by the Union government in Parliament showed that the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India scheme had not yet been implemented in Kerala's government schools, contrary to the claims made by Chief Minister V D Satheesan and General Education Minister N Samsudheen.

Referring to the Rajya Sabha reply by Union Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary to a question raised by Congress MP Jebi Mather, Sivankutty said no government school in Kerala had been selected under the PM SHRI scheme so far.

In a statement, he alleged that the state had not participated in the school selection process under the scheme and that only 47 Kendriya Vidyalayas, Navodaya Vidyalayas and National Council of Educational Research and Training-run institutions in Kerala figured in the list.

He claimed that the Rs 99.27 crore released to Kerala for 2025-26 was not PM SHRI assistance but the state's entitlement under the Right to Education component of the Samagra Shiksha programme.

He pointed out that Tamil Nadu, which has not signed the PM SHRI memorandum of understanding, had similarly received RTE-related funds.

Accusing the government of portraying statutory education funds as PM SHRI assistance, Sivankutty alleged that it was "misleading" the public and "compromising" the state's public education system.

Echoing similar criticism, CPI state secretary Binoy Viswam alleged that the Centre's reply had exposed the state government's claim that Kerala had received funds after signing the PM SHRI agreement.

In a statement, he said the Union government had clarified that the amount released was under the Samagra Shiksha programme and not the PM SHRI scheme.

Describing the UDF as the BJP's "B-team", Viswam alleged that the government's move to proceed with the PM SHRI scheme was aimed at pleasing the saffron party.

He maintained that the state was under no legal obligation to implement the scheme and asserted that Kerala would resist any move that, according to him, undermined the secular character of the state's education system.

The remarks assumed significance amid a political debate over the PM SHRI scheme, with sections of the media reporting that the UDF government was considering joining the centrally sponsored programme. The Opposition CPI(M) and CPI have accused the government of attempting to implement the scheme despite having criticised it earlier.

The PM SHRI issue became contentious during the tenure of the previous LDF government after Kerala signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre.

The state later kept the scheme in abeyance following objections from coalition partner CPI, which argued that it could facilitate the implementation of the National Education Policy 2020.