Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday informed that the Assembly resolution seeking NEET exemption for the state, that was sent for Presidential assent, has been declined, and said the rejection was a “dark chapter in federalism.”
Nevertheless, the state would continue its struggle to abolish the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), he said and announced that a meeting of the legislature party leaders has been convened on April 9 in this connection.
Informing the state Assembly about the Centre’s decision, Stalin expressed disappointment over the move and said “the rejection is a dark chapter in federalism.”
The Bill proposed to allow admissions to medical courses solely based on Class 12 marks. It was passed in the Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2021 and re-adopted the following year after initial objections from Governor R N Ravi.
Leader of the Opposition and AIADMK chief, Edappadi K Palaniswami accused the chief minister of doing politics on abolishing the national level screening test and said the people will give a fitting reply to the DMK in the 2026 Assembly election for misleading them.
“The DMK came to power in 2021 promising to cancel NEET. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin then said he knew the secret on abrogating NEET. But nothing was done thus far. Now, the chief minister has announced an all-party meeting on NEET. How long will the DMK deceive the people?” the former CM asked while speaking to reporters outside the Assembly after staging a walkout over another issue.
Stalin, informing the House on the latest development, accused the Centre of disregarding the will of Tamil Nadu people and the Assembly bill, too.
“Despite the Tamil Nadu government furnishing all necessary clarifications through various ministries, the Union government has now rejected the exemption from NEET,” Stalin said.
“Due to the implementation of NEET, the dreams of the poor and rural students of becoming a doctor have been out of reach. This will affect the medical services in rural and backward areas of the state in the future,” Stalin said in his address to the House.
He said the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Act, 2021 was unanimously passed in the Legislative Assembly on September 13, 2021. The Governor sent it back for reconsideration. Following this, a resolution to reintroduce the Bill in the Assembly was passed unanimously, he explained.
NEET has emotional undertones in Tamil Nadu as many aspirants, either having failed to crack the entrance test or apprehensive over clearing it, have died by suicide over the past years. They include S Anita from Ariyalur district, whose death in 2017 sparked an outrage in the state.
All political parties in the state barring the BJP support ‘abolition’ of NEET.
