Barring BJP, House says ‘NEET’ not so neat; adopts resolution

CHENNAI: The Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution urging the Union government to scrap NEET and allow admission to medical courses in the State based on marks obtained in Class 12.

The resolution received support from the DMK, Congress, AIADMK, CPI, CPM, PMK and Manithaneya Jananayaga Katchi. However, the lone BJP MLA M Bhojarajan opposed the resolution and staged a walkout.

Moving the second resolution, after the erstwhile DMK regime under MK Stalin sought similar relief to the State, Health and Medical Education Minister KG Arunraj said medical education should be accessible not only to economically stronger sections but also to students with merit and dedication.

The resolution stated that NEET had led to the proliferation of coaching centres charging exorbitant fees and had diverted students' attention from the school curriculum towards exam-oriented coaching.

Arunraj said that before the introduction of NEET, students from rural, poor and socially disadvantaged backgrounds were able to secure medical education opportunities. The introduction of NEET, he alleged, had adversely affected socio-economic equality in medical admissions.

"It gravely undermines the medical education opportunities of rural and socio-economically disadvantaged students, including students whose medium of instruction is Tamil," the resolution stated.

The Assembly also urged the Union government to make necessary amendments to laws governing medical admissions, including the National Medical Commission Act, citing repeated irregularities in the conduct of NEET.

The minister said the Union government should respect the Assembly's unanimous voice, asserting that respecting the rights of States was an essential component of the federal structure.

He also reiterated the demand to bring education back from the Concurrent List to the State List, arguing that this was the only way to permanently resolve the NEET issue.

It may be noted that during the previous DMK regime, then Chief Minister MK Stalin had moved a resolution urging the Union government to grant assent to the Bill seeking exemption for Tamil Nadu from the NEET examination.