PM SHRI row deepens; Congress-League differences delay subcommittee decision

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A decision by the Cabinet subcommittee on implementing the PM SHRI scheme is likely to be delayed as differences between the Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) within the UDF have intensified over the issue.
The subcommittee is scheduled to meet on Wednesday. However, indications are that it may not take a final decision. With differing views emerging within the front, the leadership is expected to wait for greater clarity before arriving at a conclusion.

The dispute was triggered by UDF convenor Adoor Prakash's statement that the front had decided to implement the PM SHRI scheme, while Minister P.K. Kunhalikutty publicly maintained that a decision would be taken only after discussing all aspects of the matter. The IUML is understood to be upset that the UDF convenor made such an announcement before the subcommittee had submitted its recommendations.
The League has questioned the need for constituting a subcommittee if the decision had already been taken by the front. It believes Adoor Prakash acted with unnecessary haste.

The subcommittee, constituted under the leadership of General Education Minister N. Shamsudheen, has not yet completed its deliberations or arrived at a decision. The League has also criticised the convenor's remarks, saying they effectively rendered the subcommittee irrelevant.

The Congress, meanwhile, has blamed delays on differences within the League itself, alleging that the party has been unable to arrive at a common position. It pointed out that the Cabinet meeting held on June 17 had decided to proceed with the PM SHRI scheme subject to certain conditions, following which the subcommittee was constituted.
The Congress also criticised what it described as contradictory positions within the UDF, saying taking one stand within the front and another in public was creating unnecessary confusion.