New Delhi, June 23 (IANS) The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest at Kerala Bhavan in the national capital on Monday, condemning the recent attack on its Kerala state office bearer E.U. Ishwar Prasad and demanding the implementation of the PM Shri Yojana in the state.

The student organisation alleged that the attack, carried out by members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in Thiruvananthapuram on the night of June 21, was a “planned political assault” to silence opposition to the Kerala government’s refusal to adopt the Centre’s PM Shri scheme.

Terming the incident as “barbaric” and “state-sponsored,” ABVP demanded the resignation of Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and strict action against the assailants.

“The attack reflects the dictatorial attitude of the Kerala government, which is using violence to suppress democratic student movements,” ABVP said in a statement.

ABVP claims the PM Shri scheme is designed to benefit underprivileged students and accuses the Left government of rejecting it purely on ideological grounds.

“Rejecting such a student-centric scheme on political grounds is both unfortunate and undemocratic,” the ABVP said.

The protest comes after ABVP’s sustained campaign across Kerala seeking implementation of the scheme.

A delegation led by Ishwar Prasad had earlier met Kerala Education Minister V. Sivankutty to press the demand, which was rejected. Since then, the student body has organised awareness drives and protests, including a Secretariat March on June 17 and black-flag demonstrations in Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode on June 20.

ABVP alleged that the growing momentum of its democratic campaign led to a “conspiracy” by the state government and its affiliated student groups.

On June 21, Ishwar Prasad was attacked near the Thiruvananthapuram Railway Station while he was on his way to a restaurant. He is currently undergoing treatment in the ICU.

“The attack was not accidental but part of a deliberate attempt to crush student leadership and resistance. It exposes the ideological bankruptcy of the Left government in Kerala,” said ABVP’s Sarthak Sharma.

He warned that if the PM Shri Yojana is not implemented in Kerala and the perpetrators are not punished, ABVP will launch nationwide protests.

“If violence continues in the education sector, we will raise our voice in every corner of the country,” Sharma said.

PM Shri is a centrally sponsored scheme intended to develop schools managed by the Central Government/State/UT Government/local bodies, including KVS and NVS.

–IANS

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