T M Thomas Isaac slams BJP, defends Kerala’s stand on PM SHRI

Thiruvananthapuram: Former Finance Minister and CPI M Central Committee member T M Thomas Isaac has said that the controversy surrounding the Centre’s PM SHRI scheme is being politically exploited by the BJP and Congress, while Kerala’s position on education policy remains unchanged.

In a Facebook post, Isaac said the BJP’s demand for an apology from the CPI M is baseless, as the party has made no compromise on its criticism of the new national education policy. “The Congress too has joined the chorus, claiming that the CPI M’s signature on the PM SHRI scheme proves some hidden link with the BJP. Ironically, Congress governments in several states are already implementing the same scheme,” he wrote.

Isaac stressed that Kerala functions within India’s federal framework and has consistently opposed the Centre’s attempts to encroach upon education, which is a state subject. “The BJP has used this space created by the Congress to impose a communal education policy. Kerala is one of the few states that decided not to implement it,” he said, pointing to the state’s educational reforms over the past decade as proof of a viable alternative.

Explaining the PM SHRI scheme, Isaac said it envisages the selection of two schools per block across India, totalling 14,500 schools, to be developed as model institutions. The Centre has earmarked 18,128 crore rupees over five years, while states must contribute 9,232 crore rupees (40 percent). Each school could receive about two crore rupees including the state’s share, “a relatively small sum compared to what Kerala has invested through KIIFB,” he noted.

The larger concern, he said, is the Centre’s stance that funds under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) will be withheld if states refuse to sign the PM SHRI agreement. Kerala received 1,031 crore rupees under SSA in 2023–24, but nothing in 2024–25. “This means a potential loss of around 5,000 crore rupees over five years,” Isaac warned, adding that thousands of teachers employed under SSA would face uncertainty.

He accused the BJP -led Union government of using fiscal allocation as a weapon to weaken opposition -ruled states. “In the past five years, Kerala’s central allocations have not increased, in fact, they have fallen by 25 percent,” he said. Both the BJP and Congress, Isaac alleged, “clap along in approval,” while Kerala has challenged these moves in court.

Isaac also outlined areas of caution if Kerala is compelled to sign the PM SHRI agreement: the naming of selected schools, the risk of private self -financing schools being brought under the Centre’s control, the adoption of a national curriculum framework, and the question of language policy. He clarified that while Tamil Nadu faces issues over Hindi, Kerala has long taught the language from the upper primary level, and this would not pose a major problem. “Signing PM SHRI does not mean yielding to the BJP’s communal education policy,” Isaac asserted. “Our struggle will continue within the limitations of the federal structure, just as earlier land and social reforms were achieved within those very limits.”