T.N. likely to move SC against Centre’s stand on its anti-NEET Bill

Chief Minister M.K. Stalin chairing a meeting on NEET.

A meeting of representatives of legislature parties, chaired by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Wednesday, unanimously adopted a resolution that the Tamil Nadu government continue its legal struggle to get the State exempted from the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admission to medical courses.

The AIADMK and the BJP boycotted the meeting.

Besides intensifying its efforts through the plea that the State had filed in the Supreme Court in 2023 against the NEET, the meeting decided that the government consult legal experts to explore, among other options, “moving a fresh case, if necessary, in the Supreme Court against the Union government’s stand” against the Bill adopted by the Assembly.

After President Droupadi Murmu withheld assent for the Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021, the Chief Minister called a meeting of the representatives of the legislature parties. Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin read out the draft of the resolution adopted at the meeting held on the Secretariat campus.

“The Supreme Court’s judgment delivered on April 8 has given us great hope. If we continue our legal steps, I believe we could get an exemption from the ambit of the NEET,” Mr. Stalin said in his speech. “The NEET is not an exam from which we could not get an exemption. It is a test that is being held after a few with a selfish motive misguided the Union government only to benefit coaching centres and themselves,” Mr. Stalin said.

The NEET was not being conducted properly and that was evident from the cases being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in various States, Mr. Stalin said. He appealed to the leaders of various parties to share their opinion in this regard. All of them were of the opinion that the State government should pursue its legal struggle against the NEET.

Ministers Duraimurugan, Udhayanidhi, S. Regupathy, and Ma. Subramanian; Rajya Sabha Member P. Wilson; legislators of various parties represented in the Assembly; Chief Secretary N. Muruganandam; and Advocate-General P.S. Raman were among those who took part at the meeting.

I. Paranthamen and N. Ezhilan of the DMK; S. Rajesh Kumar of the Congress; M. Sinthanai Selvan and S.S. Balaji of the VCK; T. Ramachandran and K. Marimuthu of the CPI; V.P. Nagaimaali and M. Chinnadurai of the CPI(M); T. Sadhan Thirumalaikumar and M. Boominathan of the MDMK; G.K. Mani of the PMK; M.H. Jawahirullah and P. Abdul Samad of the MMK; T. Velmurugan of the TVK; and E.R. Eswaran of the KMDK represented their parties at the meeting.