Centre has declined consent for Tamil Nadu's anti-NEET bill, says CM Stalin

Terming the rejection as 'dark chapter in federalism,' the Chief Minister who informed the House on the latest development, accused the Centre of disregarding the will of Tamil Nadu people and the Assembly bill, too.

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Friday said President Droupadi Murmu has withheld assent to a Bill passed by the Assembly seeking exemption from NEET for students from the state and termed the development as a “dark chapter” in the country’s federal structure.

Stalin also told the Assembly that he has convened a meeting of legislative party leaders on April 9 at the Secretariat to discuss the next course of action on the issue even as he asserted that the DMK government will continue to take every step, including the legal route, to ensure that students from Tamil Nadu are exempted from appearing for the exam.

NEET is an emotive issue in Tamil Nadu as people believe that a nation-wide entrance test for admission into medical and dental colleges puts students from rural areas in a disadvantaged position as they have to compete with those from urban areas who have the luxury of attending coaching classes to crack the exam.

Over two dozen students have ended their lives either due to the fear of appearing for the exam or due to the fear of losing. After the DMK came to power in 2021, the Assembly passed a bill seeking exemption for NEET but Governor R N Ravi returned the legislation following which the House re-enacted and sent it back to him.

Ravi sent the Bill to the President of India in May 2022 and since then it was pending before the Centre.

"The Tamil Nadu government provided explanations to all queries sought by various departments of the Union Government. However, without accepting the explanations, the Centre has refused to give its assent to the Bill. Insulting a state assembly by not accepting its recommendation is a dark chapter in the country’s federal structure,” Stalin said.

"The Union Government has disregarded the bill passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly as well as the views of the people. The people are watching this," the Chief Minister said.

Stalin’s statement in the Assembly about convening a meeting on NEET comes at a time when the Union Government and the DMK dispensation are involved in a running battle over a host of issues, including implementation of National Education Policy 2020. The DMK in the run-up to the 2021 assembly elections had promised exemption of NEET for students from Tamil Nadu.