Kerala’s ex-General Education Minister, V. Sivankutty, defended the previous LDF government’s stance on the PM SHRI school scheme. He refuted claims by former Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s Additional Private Secretary, Ratheesh Kaliyadan, that the state couldn’t unilaterally withdraw from the scheme post signing the MoU. Sivankutty criticized Kaliyadan’s remarks, suggesting they favored the UDF-BJP alliance and questioned their motives.
Such statements, according to Sivankutty, reveal opportunistic tendencies among officials. He reiterated that the LDF government’s position on the PM SHRI scheme and the legality of the MoU had been clarified multiple times by Pinarayi Vijayan and himself. Sivankutty firmly rejected Kaliyadan’s argument that the MoU prevented Kerala from opting out of the scheme, asserting the state’s right to not implement the project.
In response to an article by Kaliyadan, Sivankutty disputed claims that Kerala had received Rs 92.41 crore under the PM SHRI scheme. He clarified that the amount represented state expenditure under the Right to Education Act and couldn’t be labeled as scheme assistance. Sivankutty’s statements come amid the V.D. Satheesan government’s review of the PM-SHRI program initiated by the previous Vijayan government.
Sivankutty also called for a thorough police investigation into alleged financial irregularities during the BJP’s Assembly election campaign. He highlighted reported embezzlement in helicopter and vehicle rentals, along with irregularities in a Rs 3.5-crore contract for producing party flags. Sivankutty emphasized the need for a comprehensive probe into these allegations involving public funds and party contributions.
