CPM’s big U-turn: Kerala moves to allow private universities, ‘have to absorb changes to survive’

“This alteration has happened astatine this moment. We marque decisions successful tune with the alteration and the CPI(M) has a well-defined perspective. At the aforesaid time, our basal is against the introduction of overseas universities,” she added. The Bill is apt to beryllium introduced successful the ongoing Assembly session.

The CPI(M)’s earlier absorption to opening up the state’s higher acquisition assemblage was champion exemplified by the protests it led successful 1995, erstwhile the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) authorities began a aesculapian assemblage successful the co-operative assemblage successful Kannur. Five workers of the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), the CPI(M)’s younker organisation, were killed successful constabulary firing successful Koothuparamba successful Kannur.

Since then, the CPI(M) has marked this arsenic a historical agitation against the privatisation of acquisition successful Kerala. A DYFI worker, past 24 years old, got injured during the protests and became a awesome of the party’s basal against the privatisation of education. He remained bedridden for 30 years and died successful September 2024.

When the Congress authorities that was successful powerfulness from 2002 to 2006 decided to commencement self-financing engineering colleges and aesculapian colleges successful Kerala to stem the travel of students to different parts of India successful hunt of nonrecreational education, the enactment vehemently opposed the move.

In 2014, erstwhile the Congress authorities decided to confer autonomy to reputed arts and subject colleges successful the state, the CPI(M) again roseate successful protest. Two years later, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI), its pupil wing, manhandled erstwhile diplomat and past authorities higher acquisition assembly vice-chairman Dr T P Sreenivasan, astatine a planetary acquisition acme saying the government’s determination would “accelerate the commercialisation of higher education”.

The SFI besides accused CM Oommen Chandy and Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb of receiving kickbacks to let backstage universities successful Kerala.

Responding to the latest decision, Sreenivasan connected Tuesday said, “In 2011 itself we had brought a draught for backstage universities erstwhile students successful Kerala were uncovering it hard to get admittance for higher studies. The Left had ever opposed the move. We mislaid respective years. We mislaid the market. Now determination are not capable students successful arts and subject colleges. It is simply a contented that dawned late. Our Bill had stringent norms. The caller 1 seems to beryllium precise liberal.”

Although the CPI(M) opposed the self-financing of education, the enactment aboriginal took a plunge into the sector, opening respective ventures.

Before the reforms successful higher education, the CPI(M) opposed changes successful galore arenas. The enactment successful the 1990s opposed computerisation and earlier that mechanisation successful agriculture. After 2000, the enactment was divided implicit accepting assistance from the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank for assorted developmental projects. In 2003, erstwhile Pinarayi Vijayan was the CPI(M) authorities secretary, the enactment opposed ADB loans. The DYFI adjacent roughed up ADB consultants who reached Kerala for deliberations with the Congress government.

After Vijayan became the CM successful 2016, the CPI(M) and its allied outfits lowered the flags of protestation to pave the mode for reforms successful each assemblage and expedite development. The enactment is present unfastened to availing of resources from each disposable sources.

In 2019, the Vijayan authorities became the archetypal authorities to pat the masala enslaved marketplace abroad. Vijayan opened the level for trading astatine the London Stock Exchange successful transportation with the contented of Rs 2,150 crore of masala bonds.