UDF drops opposition to PM SHRI, cites crucial federal funding for school education in Kerala

Published 30 July 2026 · politics

The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on Thursday flip-flopped on its vehement opposition to the allegedly pro-Hindutva New Education Policy (NEP)-linked Prime Ministers’ Schools for

The ruling United Democratic Front (UDF) on Thursday flip-flopped on its vehement opposition to the allegedly pro-Hindutva New Education Policy (NEP)-linked Prime Ministers’ Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI), citing Kerala’s “desperate need” for federal funding for school education to explain the political about-face. UDF convener Adoor Prakash told a press conference that the Congress-led government could ill afford to lose the significant Central funding, which has remained in limbo since the previous Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M]-led government signed an MoU with the Central government, somewhat “furtively”, and allegedly without “consultations” in the Left Democratic Front (LDF) or the Cabinet.

He denied that the UDF had executed a political U-turn after accusing the CPI(M) of having a covert, mutually symbiotic understanding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government, and that the LDF’s vocal opposition to saffronisation of education was mere capering to hoodwink the public. Prakash said governments were in perpetuity and some actions taken by the previous dispensation could not be undone by the incumbent government, given the fiscal commitments involved. He attempted to lay the blame at the CPI(M)’s doorstep for creating the political quagmire for the successive UDF government.

He said the CPI(M) had clandestinely dispatched the then General Education Secretary to the Centre to sign the contentious PM SHRI agreement, without broad-based consultations. The CPI(M) lacked the courage of its convictions to consult the Communist Party of India (CPI), a key LDF ally, before making the momentous decision, which had far-reaching implications for Kerala’s general education sector. He said CPI(M) walked the extra mile to keep the politically touchy decision secret from the UDF, then in the Opposition, given its potential impact at the hustings in the run-up to the 2026 polls.

Prakash said the CPI Ministers had threatened to boycott the Cabinet if the CPI(M) did not revoke the MoU. CPI State secretary Binoy Viswam, he said, issued an ultimatum to the CPI(M) leadership. However, Mr. Prakash said, the CPI(M) pussyfooted around the subject and ensured that the PM SHRI fund infusion was stalled. He said the CPI(M) pushed Kerala into a no-win situation.