DMK Urges Abolition of NEET or Exemption for Tamil Nadu in Rajya Sabha

On Tuesday, DMK Rajya Sabha member P Wilson called on the central government to either abolish the NEET exam or approve Tamil Nadu’s NEET exemption Bill. This bill aims to exclude the state from the national medical entrance exam. (File Photo: PTI)

Wilson made this demand during a debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s address in the Rajya Sabha. This comes amid ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in the conduct of NEET 2024.

Calling the exam a “NEET menace,” Wilson pointed out that the Tamil Nadu legislative assembly had passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Medical Courses Bill in 2021. However, the bill has been waiting for the President’s approval for three years, causing anxiety among students and parents.

Wilson also questioned the National Testing Agency’s (NTA) ability to manage competitive exams like NEET. He argued that the lack of legislation could potentially protect the agency from being held accountable.

“From 2014 to 2024, the government has passed 427 Bills in the Lok Sabha and 365 bills in the Rajya Sabha. However, the Union government has not shown interest in introducing legislation to provide statutory backing to the NTA,” Wilson said.

He also suggested that delays in ordering a CBI probe into the irregularities might have given “fraudsters” time to tamper with documents and erase evidence.

Last Friday, the Tamil Nadu assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to “immediately approve Tamil Nadu’s NEET exemption bill” and “make necessary amendments to the National Medical Commission Act” to abolish NEET at the national level.

Chief Minister MK Stalin, speaking in the assembly, said that the admission system based on class 12 marks had ensured social justice and equal opportunities for students from various sections of society. This system enabled doctors to emerge from every part of the state, reported The Hindu.

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 was initially passed in September 2021 but was returned by state Governor RN Ravi after a five-month delay. The bill was re-introduced and passed in the assembly in February 2022 and was sent to the Governor, who reserved the bill for Presidential assent.

In August 2023, the ruling DMK held a state-wide one-day hunger strike demanding the scrapping of the exam. The party also conducted statewide signature campaigns, and Stalin submitted petitions to the President demanding the same.

(With PTI inputs)