Thiruvananthapuram | The Centre’s PM SHRI scheme continued to spark political sparring in Kerala on Sunday, with the ruling UDF saying a final decision would be taken only after detailed discussions, while the opposition LDF accused it of adopting “double standards”.

The reactions came a day after General Education Minister N Samsudheen said the government would decide on the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India scheme only after examining all aspects and consulting experts.

Responding to reporters, senior Congress leader and Health Minister K Muraleedharan said the previous LDF government had already signed the agreement with the Centre.

“Once an agreement is signed by a government, it is not easy to simply walk away from it,” he said.

At the same time, Muraleedharan stressed that the Congress-led UDF government would not take a hasty decision.

“We will examine all aspects in detail before arriving at a decision,” he said.

Senior Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader P M A Salam also said the matter would be discussed within the ruling front before a final stand is taken.

Asked whether the IUML, a key UDF partner, was softening its earlier opposition to the scheme, Salam said, “We are prepared to make compromises on matters that are justifiable, but not on issues that are not.”

He alleged that the previous LDF government had acted improperly by signing the PM SHRI agreement without adequate Cabinet discussion and without informing coalition partners.

“We opposed that wrong approach. The remaining issues will be discussed within the UDF, and an appropriate decision will be taken,” he said.

However, senior CPI leader and former minister G R Anil accused the UDF and IUML of gradually endorsing policies introduced by the BJP-led Centre.

“The PM SHRI scheme was one of the initiatives they had most strongly opposed, especially the IUML,” he said.

Anil alleged it was ironic that the scheme could now be implemented under a General Education Minister from the IUML, citing what he called “silly justifications”.

He further claimed that the UDF was attempting to shift responsibility for the controversy onto the previous LDF government and portray itself as blameless.

“That is the height of double standards, and we will strongly oppose it,” Anil said.

MSF leader P K Navas said the UDF-ruled Kerala would not, and must not, yield to the Centre on the matter.

In a Facebook post, he claimed that the UDF government was working towards withdrawing from the agreement.

“One thing is certain—the poisonous syllabus of saffron politics will have no place in Kerala’s classrooms. It will neither be learnt nor taught here,” the MSF leader added.

The PM SHRI scheme became a contentious issue in Kerala after the previous CPI(M)-led LDF government signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre but later put its implementation on hold following objections from its coalition partner, the CPI.

The CPI had argued that the scheme could facilitate the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), which it alleged reflected the ideological agenda of the RSS, while the General Education Department maintained that joining the scheme was necessary to secure central assistance.

The Congress-led UDF had then criticised the LDF government’s decision to sign the agreement.

On Saturday, senior CPI(M) leader and former General Education Minister V Sivankutty accused the UDF government of yielding to the Centre’s efforts to implement the NEP in Kerala through the PM SHRI scheme.

He alleged that UDF leaders, who had earlier branded the programme as aligned with the BJP-RSS agenda, were now supporting the same initiative.

Sivankutty urged the government not to succumb to pressure from the Centre and to abandon any move to proceed with the scheme.