War of Words in Tamil Nadu over scrapping of NEET

A war of words has erupted in Tamil Nadu over scrapping of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) with the ruling DMK and its allies expecting Governor R N Ravi to give assent to the bill passed by the state Assembly for scrapping the exam.

The Tamil Nadu government is expecting a favourable response from the Governor as it feels that the new bill is based on proper data that could be quantified as well as provision for a reservation to Government school students for admission to Medical colleges.

DMK leader and state health minister Ma Subramanian, while speaking to IANS, said: "We had constituted a commission headed by Justice (retd) A K Rajan of the Madras High Court, and the report by the commission is based on proper data as to why NEET is to be scrapped."

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However, the AIADMK is not impressed and former chief minister and Leader of Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Assembly Edappady K Palaniswami have questioned the wisdom of the state government in cancelling NEET which is a national level competitive examination.

In a statement on Monday, the former chief minister called upon the state government to conduct more coaching classes for NEET so that government school students of the state are also able to crack the examination by attending proper training classes.

In a related development, Puthiya Thamilagam founder leader and former MLA Dr K Krishnaswamy has written a letter to the Governor requesting him not to give assent to the NEET exemption bill. He said that the general public, including students and parents, have welcomed the bill and only certain vested interests were against it.

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PMK founder leader Dr S Ramadoss has called upon the state government to immediately convene a meeting of all political parties to discuss the steps to be taken to get approval for the NEET exemption bill before the commencement of the next academic year.

NEET issue is turning into a major controversy in Tamil Nadu with the DMK getting flak from the opposition for not being able to implement one of its major electoral promises. AIADMK leader and former Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, in a statement, said that the DMK knew fully well that NEET could not be scrapped and that it had used the subject as a political tactic to garner votes by misleading the public.

He also said that the people of the state have seen through the game plan of the DMK and the present government and the hollowness of the promises made by the ruling party.

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