The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] State Secretariat apparently sought to ease tensions with the Communist Party of India (CPI), the second largest constituent of the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF), which had openly criticised the government for “surreptiously” signing the “anti-federal and reactionary” PM-SHRI scheme ostensibly to secure an estimated ₹1,446 crore central grant for school education without consulting the ruling front or the cabinet.
The CPI(M) appeared keen to mollify an apparently indignant CPI. CPI(M) State Secretary M V Govidan told a press conference that signing the PM-SHRI MoU did not preclude further debate on the subject in the LDF or cabinet. “There is no dispute the LDF cannot solve via consensus”, he added.
