UDF drops opposition to PM SHRI, cites crucial federal funding for school education in Kerala
The UDF in Kerala has dropped its opposition to the PM SHRI school scheme, citing the state's urgent need for federal funding. The party defended the move by blaming the previous LDF government for signing the agreement without proper consultation.
Why it matters
This highlights the tension between political ideology and fiscal necessity in Indian federalism, particularly regarding education policy.
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.
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