Tamil Nadu government on Wednesday said it will soon send its reply to questions raised by the Union Ministry of AYUSH over the anti-NEET bill re-enacted by the Assembly last year seeking exemption from the exam for students of the state to get into medical colleges.
Separately, the state government last week moved the Supreme Court by filing an original suit against the entrance exam arguing that declaration of NEET as the sole gateway for entry into medical courses is a violation of the Constitution’s basic structure and fundamental right to equality.
The move is seen as part of the DMK government’s continued push to get an exemption from the exam for the state, despite the anti-NEET bill pending before the Union Government since May 2022. The assembly re-enacted the bill on February 8 after Governor R N Ravi returned it on February 1.
On May 4, Chief Minister M K Stalin told the Assembly that the Governor has forwarded the bill to the President of India and since then the state government has been flooded with queries from Union Ministries of Home and Health.
“We have received some clarifications from the AYUSH Ministry. Our legal experts are drafting the response to questions from the Union Government and we will finalise the content soon. Once we get the approval from the Chief Minister, we will send the responses,” Ma Subramanian, Health Minister, told reporters here.
He said the state government had already sent detailed responses to queries raised by the Home and Health ministries on the anti-NEET bill. The DMK has been opposed to NEET arguing that it discriminates against rural students who do not have facilities to go for coaching classes to prepare for the entrance exam.
After coming to power in May 2021, the DMK government appointed a committee headed by Justice (retired) A K Rajan to study the issue of NEET and passed a “legally-sound” legislation in the state assembly seeking exemption from the exam, relying heavily on the committee’s report.
DMK sources said the party felt it should not just take efforts to get assent for the bill, but also move the Supreme Court and launch a parallel fight. “We are making an honest and genuine attempt, and we don’t want to leave any stone unturned. We hope to get an exemption for our state,” a DMK leader told DH.
The original suit, filed under Article 131 of the Constitution, says the state was constrained to approach the top court as the “introduction and continuance of the NEET exam has adversely affected the students in the State of Tamil Nadu, in particular students from rural areas and students from Tamil Nadu State Board of Education affiliated schools.”
NEET is a highly emotive issue in Tamil Nadu with over two dozen students ending their lives due to failure of clearing the exams or fear of attending it in the past five years.