DMK responsible for NEET, death of 13 aspirants: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami

The politics over National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for admissions into medical and dental colleges dominated the Tamil Nadu Assembly proceedings on Tuesday with the ruling AIADMK and principal opposition DMK blaming the other for conduct of the entrance exam.

As the AIADMK government came under intense pressure from Opposition parties in the backdrop of four students dying by suicide due to fear of NEET in a week, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami blamed the then UPA-II in which the DMK was an active partner for the NEET exams.

He also dragged senior counsel Nalini, wife of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, saying he was responsible for introduction of NEET as she vociferously argued for the proponents of the exam in the Supreme Court. As Congress members protested the mention of Nalini and Chidambaram and continue to disrupt the proceedings, they were evicted from the House.

Going a step ahead, the Chief Minister sought to turn the table by alleging that it was the DMK-Congress combine which is responsible for the “13 students who died” because of the NEET exam.

NEET is a political and emotive issue in Tamil Nadu as political parties feel students from the state, especially those living in rural areas, are put at a disadvantageous position as they are being forced to compete with those from urban areas and those who study the CBSE stream through their school education.

Accusing the DMK of committing "a historical blunder" by "thrusting" the exam upon the nation, Palaniswami said the state government would continue its fight against NEET.

"Who is responsible for NEET in 2010 and who went to the court after the apex court quashed the introduction of the exam. It is DMK, which is also responsible for the death of 13 aspirants in the state," Palaniswami said. Separately, Health Minister C Vijayabaskar sought to know from Opposition Leader M K Stalin on what basis he made the statement that the DMK would scrap NEET if it came to power in 2021.

“It would be better if Mr Stalin makes public his strategy so that we can do it now,” he said. To this, Stalin said he merely meant getting a state-specific ordinance exempting Tamil Nadu from NEET passed like how the ban on Jallikattu was revoked.