Kochi | The Congress in Kerala on Friday accused the ruling CPI(M)-led LDF of "sidelining" its key ally, the CPI, over the state's decision to join the Centre's PM SHRI Schools scheme.

Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Assembly V D Satheesan said the move exposed "deep fissures within the LDF." The accusation comes amid a sharp rift within the ruling coalition after the state General Education Department signed an agreement with the Centre to join the PM SHRI Schools scheme, drawing criticism from the CPI.

Satheesan claimed that CPI(M) state secretary M V Govindan questioned "which CPI" in response to the party's objections to the scheme.

"CPI should decide whether to tolerate the insult and shame or not. It is CPI's political decision to make," he said.

Extending an olive branch to the CPI towards the Congress-led alliance, Satheesan added that if CPI states its position, the UDF can offer its opinion.

Satheesan charged CPI(M) in Kerala with "ignoring" its central committee's guidance on the scheme.

"What happened on PM SHRI was not what party general secretary M A Baby said," he alleged.

"The CPI(M) central committee is controlled by its Kerala state committee," the opposition leader told reporters in Paravoor.

"After the chief minister (Pinarayi Vijayan) met the prime minister (Narendra Modi), he diluted and disrupted the stance on PM SHRI,” Satheesan added.

The Congress leader also alleged that the Kerala government had accepted central funding while effectively agreeing to BJP-backed provisions.

"Congress-ruled states had strongly opposed controversial conditions and secret agendas. But Kerala has unilaterally accepted money without prior notice," he said.

The remarks come amid growing political tension in Kerala, as trouble brews in the ruling LDF over moving ahead with the scheme without consulting coalition partners.