AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal inaugurates ‘Sit to win’ camp for Congress functionaries in Kozhikode on Wednesday. | Photo credit: K. Ragesh
The Congress hit out at the Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala for agreeing to join the Centre’s PM-SHRI scheme, claiming it was part of a series of compromises reached between the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal told the media here on Wednesday (Oct 22, 2025) that covering up the Directorate of Enforcement’s notice against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan’s son Vivek T. and setting aside the SNC-Lavalin corruption case in the Supreme Court were also part of the compromise several times. He was here to inaugurate “Sit to win”, a one-day camp organized for party functionaries ahead of the local polls.
He alleged that the CPI(M) had deviated from its proclaimed principles by supporting the PM-SHRI scheme. Refuting allegations that Congress-led governments also introduced it, Mr. Venugopal pointed out that it was the BJP-led government that started it in Karnataka in 2021. It was similar in Telangana. The Congress would never agree to the National Education Policy through which the agenda of the Sangh Parivar was included in the curriculum of educational institutions. The Union Government was of the view that students need not learn about Mahatma Gandhi but should study about his assassin Nathuram Godse. “Is ₹1,400 crore in central funds released as a bribe for introducing such a curriculum in the state? The CPI(M) should explain to the people why it is going ahead with this scheme despite opposition from the CPI,” he said.
Meanwhile, Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph demanded that the state government should avoid bowing down to BJP’s political agenda. He told the media here that funds for the country’s progress should not come with conditions. These funds were obtained from taxpayers’ money. It was the right of the people to get them, and there was no place for riders. Mr. Joseph also expressed doubt whether the CPI would persist in its opposition to the PM-SHRI scheme. He claimed that disunity in the LDF was evident and the Congress was not sure whether the CPI was rigid in its stand.
Published – 22 Oct 2025 20:35 IST
