CPI(M) says Kerala's secular society will oppose NEP implementation

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] state secretariat has said that Kerala's secular society will not allow the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP), which it described as the agenda of the Sangh Parivar. The statement was issued on Wednesday in response to the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) government's decision to sign the PM SHRI scheme.

The CPI(M) alleged a deal between the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) behind Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan's move to implement the scheme. The party accused the UDF of spreading false claims about a CPI(M)-BJP deal when the previous Left Democratic Front (LDF) government had earlier opposed the PM SHRI scheme.

The CPI(M) statement said that earlier, UDF leaders V.D. Satheesan, K.C. Venugopal and P.K. Kunhalikutty had told the public that if the UDF came to power, they would not implement the PM SHRI scheme. The party claimed that the UDF had tried to create anti-LDF sentiment among religious minorities by spreading propaganda about the scheme. The statement demanded that the UDF apologise to the people for misleading them.

According to the CPI(M), the Union government began implementing the NEP from 2022 with what it called 'saffronisation' of textbooks and curriculum as its core. However, the party said that the LDF government had prepared curricula upholding secularism. As examples, the statement noted that the history of the Mughal era is still taught in the Kerala syllabus, and the textbook does not alter the fact that Nathuram Vinayak Godse assassinated Mahatma Gandhi. It claimed that these aspects have been changed in the CBSE syllabus and that textbooks in Congress-ruled states have been 'saffronised.' The CPI(M) warned that if the UDF adopts such a model, the government will face strong protests.

The PM SHRI (Pradhan Mantri Schools for Rising India) scheme is a central government initiative aimed at developing model schools. Kerala's participation has been a political flashpoint, with the previous LDF government opposing it over concerns about NEP implementation. The current UDF government, led by the Congress, has decided to sign the scheme, drawing criticism from the CPI(M).

The NEP 2020, introduced by the central government, seeks to overhaul the education system but has faced opposition from several states, including Kerala, over allegations of promoting a particular ideology. The CPI(M) has consistently opposed the policy, arguing it undermines the secular character of education.