Latest news with #DMK-ruled
The Print
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Print
BJP slams CM Siddaramaiah for skipping NITI Aayog meeting, says Karnataka deserves better
He accused Siddaramaiah of desperately clinging to a slipping chair and focusing more on appeasing the Congress high command. Bengaluru, May 25 (PTI) Slamming Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for not attending the 10th meeting of the NITI Aayog Governing Council in New Delhi, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP on Sunday said Karnataka deserves better. Sources close to the Chief Minister cited a 'prior engagement' in the state as the reason for Siddaramaiah skipping the meeting in New Delhi on Saturday and said he had sent his speech to be read out at the council. They clarified that the Chief Minister did not 'boycott' the meeting. 'The Congress government in Karnataka, unable to hide its complete lack of development work, keeps harping about what the Centre owes, as if blaming Delhi will somehow cover up its failures. But governance is not a blame game or a chorus of complaints; it is a shared responsibility built on cooperation and commitment to the people,' Vijayendra posted on 'X'. Noting that when Narendra Modi invites every Chief Minister for the 10th NITI Aayog Governing Council to shape the shared vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, CM Siddaramaiah chooses to skip, he said, 'This isn't just one leader missing one meeting—it's a deliberate withdrawal from opportunities that could shape Karnataka's future.' 'A Chief Minister desperate to cling to a slipping chair, more focused on appeasing his high command than uplifting his people, continues to place politics over progress. But can true governance ever succeed when politics is prioritised above the people?' he asked, adding that Karnataka deserves better. Later, speaking to reporters in Mysuru, Vijayendra urged Siddaramaiah to tell the people of the state why he did not attend the NITI Aayog meeting. 'Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states like Telangana, Himachal Pradesh, and DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister M.K. Stalin attended the meeting, but, unfortunately, our CM Siddaramaiah did not. He should tell the people why he did not attend or whether he boycotted it,' he said. 'This Chief Minister and government, along with its ministers and MLAs, can stage protests in Delhi against the central government, but cannot attend such an important meeting. It seems doing politics is more important to this CM than the development of the state,' the state BJP chief added. 'This is an injustice to the state. Since becoming Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah has chosen a path of confrontation with the central government, which will do no good for Karnataka,' he said. Pointing out that the CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar have time to hold the government's two-year celebration in Hosapete, attend the IPL match at Chinnaswamy Stadium, and go to Delhi to knock on the high command's door when their chair is in trouble, BJP leader and Leader of Opposition in Assembly R Ashoka said they don't have time or interest to attend the NITI Aayog meeting, which was attended by the PM and CMs of all states. He also noted that the CM and Deputy CM did not attend the World Economic Forum meeting held in Davos. 'Why do people like you need politics and public life? For the Congress party, politics is just about having fun and enjoying power; it has no interest or commitment to public welfare or development,' Ashoka added. PTI KSU SSK ADB This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Indian Express
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Kerala Education Minister: ‘Some parts of NEP are good… (but) it is now a BJP programme. That is our main problem'
Alleging that the Centre owes Kerala over Rs 1,000 crore funds for various education-related schemes, Kerala General Education Minister and CPI(M) leader V Sivankutty has said that the LDF-led state government would also, like the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu, move the court against the Centre in the matter. The Tamil Nadu government recently moved the Supreme Court, accusing the BJP-led Centre of not releasing its share under the Samagra Shiksha scheme, a key school education programme that ensures funds for implementation of the Right to Education (RTE) Act. The Centre and the states contribute funds for this scheme in the 60:40 ratio. The Centre has not released the Samagra Shiksha funds to Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal on the ground that these states have yet to implement the PM-SHRI scheme, which seeks to develop selected schools to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020. In an interview with The Indian Express, Sivankutty speaks on a range of issues related to these rows, spelling out Kerala's stand on them. Excerpts: These are Samagra Shiksha funds. They (Centre) are saying that they are withholding Samagra Shiksha funds because the PM-SHRI scheme is not being implemented in the state. Kerala is supposed to receive money from the central government under the centrally sponsored scheme for general education. This amounts to a pending amount of Rs 188.58 crore for 2023-24, Rs 513.54 crore for 2024-25, and Rs 440.34 crore that has been approved for 2025-26. This adds up to a total of Rs 1,142.46 crore. Additionally, Rs 318 crore is expected as Kerala's share for the PM-SHRI scheme for the 2025-27 period. Totally, Kerala should receive Rs 1460.46 crore. Kerala has utilised the state share of Samagra Shiksha, which is 40% of the outlay, for essential expenditure like RTE entitlements, textbooks, and salaries. But there are some commitments, like funding for scholarships for children with special needs, uniforms, and school grants that are pending. Last year, the state government provided Rs 20 crore to pay salaries. We are hopeful of changing the Centre's mindset… a change in favour of Kerala. If the Centre sticks to its stand of denying funds that are the state's right, we will have to seek other means to safeguard the rights of children. Ours is a federal country… all children are ours. You cannot deprive funds to students from a few states. It is a politically-motivated move that is affecting children. I spoke to the Tamil Nadu Education Minister and their situation is similar. They have more funds…they have provided for this amount of around Rs 2000 crore in their budget. Since it is two different states, we will have to file (a suit) separately. We have spoken with senior advocates, and will take the matter to court. We are hopeful that the court, which protects the Constitution, will give protection in this matter. The RTE Act says that the Centre is to provide funds. For the PM-SHRI scheme, the Centre insists on an MoU that specifies implementation of the NEP, and the state is not in favour of this. The issue here is that earlier education was in the State List, and now it is in the Concurrent List. The BJP at the Centre has a political stand. It is based on this political stand that they have removed certain aspects of history from textbooks. Of the steps that the Centre is taking, these in the field of education are serious ones. There is this matter of following the NEP. On the NEP and implementing new aspects in education…there should have been meetings with Education Ministers of the states, academics, experts. Our textbooks in Kerala have been prepared after discussions. There are parts of the NEP, which we would have to implement even if they were not in the NEP, simply because of the current circumstances. Many students from Kerala are studying abroad, and they are going for four-year programmes. Considering this, we had to introduce four-year programmes. I will not blindly say that it (NEP) is a complete failure. There are some parts of it that are good, and some parts that we don't agree with. We have the right to express dissent when it comes to the parts that we don't agree with. It is this dissent that we are registering. We have incorporated the positive parts of the NEP in the Kerala Curriculum Framework 2023. What we don't agree with is aspects of curriculum preparation, and imposing decisions that the Centre takes on education for the entire country. This is now an attempt to forcibly impose the Centre's policies. The NEP is now a BJP-sponsored programme. That is our main problem. Languages need to be taught, whether it is English or Hindi. But you cannot force a language on anyone.
Hindustan Times
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
CPI(M) slams TN governor for inviting Vice President, calls it ‘disrespect' of SC
The CPI(M), which is one of the allies of DMK-ruled government in Tamil Nadu, on Monday slammed governor RN Ravi for 'disrespecting the Supreme Court verdict' after he invited Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar to address the three-day conference of vice-chancellors in Ooty, scheduled to begin from Friday. 'RN Ravi is disrespecting the Supreme Court verdict. Vice Chancellors should boycott the conference. RN Ravi, who continues to act against the people and government of Tamil Nadu, has defied the Supreme Court verdict,' CPI (M) state general secretary P Shanmugham said. Dhankhar recently criticised the landmark SC verdict that set timelines for governors and the President of India to act on bills based on a petition filed by the Tamil Nadu government. On April 12, the Tamil Nadu government notified 10 bills as law, predominantly related to university appointments, the first legislation in India to take effect without a governor's signature but through the strength of a Supreme Court judgment. The notification follows a landmark verdict on April 8 in which the Supreme Court declared governor RN Ravi's inaction on state bills 'illegal' and laid down unprecedented timelines to curb gubernatorial overreach. Seven of the 10 newly notified laws transferred power from the governor to the state government for appointing and dismissing vice-chancellors at state-run universities. While the governor will remain the chancellor of these institutions, the substantive authority will now rest with the state government, effectively with chief minister MK Stalin. The laws is applicable to 18 universities across Tamil Nadu. Following this Stalin convened a meeting with the vice chancellors and officials of the higher education department on April 16.
