DMK student wing to stage protest on June 23

CHENNAI: The DMK student wing on Sunday announced a protest in Chennai on June 23 against NEET and the Union government's language policy, alleging that both issues have affected students across the country.

In a statement, the student wing secretary J Veeramani said concerns over NEET have persisted due to alleged irregularities and repeated controversies surrounding the examination. It claimed that students have faced stress and uncertainty over the conduct of the test and its outcomes. The student wing also referred to reports of student suicides linked to examination-related anxiety.

The DMK reiterated Tamil Nadu's demand for exemption from NEET and said resolutions passed by the State Assembly seeking relief from the entrance test have not received a response from the Union government.

The statement also accused the Centre of promoting Hindi and Sanskrit through educational policies and programmes. It cited a reported move to expand Sanskrit instruction for students from Classes IX to XII in CBSE schools and said such measures could affect the position of regional languages in education.

The party said its president MK Stalin had opposed the move and reiterated the party's commitment to the two-language policy followed in Tamil Nadu. It maintained that language-related decisions should remain within the domain of states and that linguistic diversity must be protected.

According to the statement, the protest will be held near Karunanidhi arch in Saidapet at 9 am on June 23. The demonstration will seek the abolition of NEET and oppose what the organisation described as attempts to introduce Hindi and Sanskrit through the education system.