Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Kerala minister Shaji stands firm on abandoning PM SHRI scheme
There is a minister in the Indian state of Kerala named K M Shaji.
A long time ago, before he became a minister, he said that a school plan called PM SHRI should be thrown into the sea.
People are talking about that old statement again.
Shaji says he still believes the plan should be thrown away.
He joked that the plan should be thrown into the Arabian Sea, or if not there, into any drain beyond it.
He explained that his old speech was just politics.
He says now that he is a minister, he should only talk about his own department.
He also said that in a group government, no single party can make decisions alone.
The old government had agreed to the school plan but did not start it.
The new government has not cancelled the plan and has made a small committee to study it.
Kerala Local Self-Government Department Minister K M Shaji said he still maintains his stand that the PM SHRI scheme should be abandoned in the state.
While in opposition, Shaji had said the PM SHRI scheme should be "thrown into the Arabian Sea."
Speaking at a Youth League event in Kannur on Saturday, Shaji said his stand has not changed, and the scheme should be thrown out — if not into the Arabian Sea, then into "whatever drain lies beyond it."
Shaji said that in coalition politics no single party can act on its own, and that collective responsibility means the government cannot act entirely on its own.
After the UDF came to power, Left parties attacked Shaji over his earlier remark since the state government did not cancel PM SHRI and instead appointed a Cabinet sub-committee to study it.
- Who
- K M Shaji, Kerala's Local Self-Government Department (LSGD) Minister and Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) leader, speaking at a Youth League event in Kannur.
- What
- Shaji said he stands by his earlier call to abandon the PM SHRI scheme, reiterating that it should be "thrown out" of the state.
- When
- Saturday, August 16, at a Youth League event in Kannur; his earlier remark was made while the IUML was in opposition.
- Where
- Kannur, Kerala, India.
- Why
- Shaji maintains his long-standing opposition to the PM SHRI scheme and says his stand has not changed simply because the IUML has joined the government.
Abandon PM SHRI
Review and retain PM SHRI
PM SHRI scheme's future in Kerala
Abandon PM SHRI
Shaji says the scheme should be abandoned and thrown out of the state; his stand has not changed even after the IUML joined the government.
Review and retain PM SHRI
The state government has not cancelled the scheme and appointed a Cabinet sub-committee to study it; Left parties attacked Shaji over his earlier remark.
Minister's rhetoric after joining government
Abandon PM SHRI
Shaji says his earlier remark was politics and he is not someone who will change his stance, insisting the scheme should be thrown out.
Review and retain PM SHRI
Left parties criticized the remark, and Shaji himself noted that in coalition politics no single party can act on its own and a minister should speak only about his own department.
- Minister
- K M Shaji, Kerala Local Self-Government Department (LSGD)
- Party
- Indian Union Muslim League (IUML)
- Scheme
- PM SHRI (Prime Minister's Schools for Rising India)
- Shaji's stance
- Abandon the scheme; throw it out of Kerala
- Earlier remark
- Throw the scheme into the Arabian Sea
- Event and date
- Youth League event in Kannur, Saturday, August 16
- State government action
- Scheme not cancelled; Cabinet sub-committee appointed to study it
- Previous government
- LDF signed Centre agreement on PM SHRI but kept it in abeyance