The indefatigable Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to fulfil its poll promise and help the Medical college mafia has adopted a resolution in the state assembly on the penultimate day of the current session, seeking exemption from National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) for the state.
The ongoing issues, such as alleged question paper leaks, extra marks to compensate for time lapse, and others, have come as a blessing in disguise for the DMK. Hitherto, it was a lone voice from the DMK alone, as Tamil Nadu has the most private medical colleges owned by politicians belonging to both the DMK and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK).
In Lok Sabha, the opposition tried to stall the proceedings, pressing for a discussion before a motion thanking the President for her address was moved and adopted. Both the Speaker Om Birla and Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said, “the Government is open to discuss irregularities in the conduct of NEET but emphasised that a discussion should follow protocol and maintain decorum. We are committed to taking strictest action. And CBI will apprehend everyone involved. We will not spare anyone”.
The DMK Government, which has been directionless with no support, has found the latest developments helpful in achieving its goal. On June 28, the assembly adopted a resolution moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin urging the Union Government to immediately give assent to the NEET Exemption Bill, which has been pending with the President’s office since 2022. While all other parties, including the PMK, which is an ally of the BJP, supported the resolution, BJP MLAs opposed it and staged a walkout.
The resolution said, “The NEET system, which severely affects the medical education opportunities of poor rural students, makes schooling redundant, and deprives the rights of the state governments to admit students to state government medical colleges, should be abolished.” The resolution also said, “The Tamil Nadu Assembly urges the union Government to give its assent to the NEET Exemption Bill unanimously passed by this Legislative Assembly to exempt Tamil Nadu from the exam and to allow medical admissions based on Class 12 marks”.
MK Stalin said, “NEET has made medical education inaccessible to rural and poor students. DMK has been repeatedly demanding the abolition of NEET since it came into force in 2017. The malpractices, cheating, and scams connected to the recently declared results of the NEET examination had made students lose faith in it.”
It urged the Union Government to amend the National Medical Commission Act so that the NEET system could be scrapped at the national level as there are repeated irregularities in the test. CM Stalin said Tamil Nadu has been fighting all alone against NEET for many years, but now, after understanding the true nature of the exam, the opposition to the test is gaining momentum. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee has urged PM Narendra Modi to restore the old method of admission of students into medical courses, while leaders like Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav and Teasjvi Yadav have demanded the scrapping of the NEET. In a nutshell, the rest of India is now resonating with Tamil Nadu’s demand to scrap NEET”.
Chief Minister Stalin recalled that the state Assembly had passed the NEET Exemption Bill on September 13, 2021, and it was returned to the House after a long legal battle. The Assembly adopted the Bill again on February 8, 2022 (without making any changes as indicated by the Governor’s office), and the Governor was left with no other opportunity to forward it to the President for her assent. But even after the Tamil Nadu Government-furnished all explanations sought by the GOI, assent for the Bill has been delayed. Earlier, the DMK blamed the Governor for sitting on the bill without giving a nod. Leaders of DMK, its allies and the media questioned the role of the Governor and made scandalous accusations against him. Raj Bhavan pointed out that it was the prerogative of the Centre to pass such a bill as it comes under the concurrent list.
Hours after the resolution was adopted in the House, CM Stalin forwarded a copy to PM Modi, seeking his early intervention on the resolution. He urged the PM to exempt Tamil Nadu from NEET and abolish this system at the national level. He said the NEET Exemption Bill of Tamil Nadu is still awaiting the President’s assent.
In 2023, the Chief Minister wrote to PM Modi to exempt Tamil Nadu from the NEET test. He had also written to CMs of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Telangana and West Bengal, seeking their support by adopting similar resolutions. He also shot off a letter to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi seeking support for exempting Tamil Nadu from NEET.
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