LDF government saffronising Kerala, says Youth Congress

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has led Kerala down the path of saffronisation by signing the Prime Minister’s Schools for Rising India (PM SHRI) agreement with the Centre, alleged Youth Congress new State president O. J. Janeesh. He demanded that the government reveal the political motives behind implementing the scheme.

“The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] and the government had long said that the National Education Policy (NEP) was part of a saffronisation agenda. What changed now? The NEP cannot be viewed as a national education policy — it is purely a Nagpur education policy designed by the Sangh Parivar. The CPI(M) must explain the reasons behind this drastic shift,” Mr. Janeesh said.

He accused the Pinarayi Vijayan government of acting under the political control of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and warned that the new agreement with the Union government would have far-reaching consequences. “We will not allow students to be taught history based on myths and religious epics, as envisioned by the Sangh Parivar,” he said.

Mr. Janeesh challenged the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) to protest against the State’s decision. “If they lack the courage to rise against the government, they should first check whether they still have a spine,” he remarked.

Widespread agitations

He announced that the Youth Congress would launch widespread agitations against the government’s move in the coming days. “Now that the Kerala government has signed the PM SHRI agreement against the Communist Party of India’s (CPI) stand, the party must decide whether it should continue in the Cabinet,” he said.

Mr. Janeesh added that if the CPI chose to join hands with the United Democratic Front (UDF), the Youth Congress would welcome them unconditionally. The Youth Congress also extended an invitation to the CPI’s youth wing, All India Youth Federation (AIYF), to organise a joint protest if they were willing to oppose the government’s decision.

In a separate demand, the Youth Congress called for an investigation into the assets of Travancore Devaswom Board president P. S. Prasanth, its members, and officials, urging authorities to confiscate any illegal properties found.