Tongues wag as CVe Shanmugam attacks BJP on NEET

CHENNAI: Waging a war with party chief Edappadi Palaniswami over support for TVK government and leadership tussle, former minister and AIADMK member CVe Shanmugam on Tuesday blamed both the BJP and the Congress for what he called the NEET menace.

He accused the incumbent BJP and the Congress, which had ruled earlier, of using it as a political weapon rather than acting in the interest of students, asserting that Parliament had the power to change laws even after a Supreme Court verdict.

Participating in the debate on demands for grants for Public Works, Highways, Sports Development, and Human Resources Management in the Assembly, Shanmugam said both national parties were blaming each other for the introduction and continuation of NEET.

"Congress says why NEET was introduced, while the BJP says it is being continued based on the Supreme Court's verdict. They may be different parties, but the same gene runs through both," he said.

Shanmugam's choice to attack the BJP, an NDA ally in the State led by the AIADMK, has raised questions about what the dissenter was up to.

Arguing that Parliament could legislate to alter the legal position arising from a Supreme Court judgment, Shanmugam cited the legislation enacted by the Rajiv Gandhi government following the Supreme Court's Shah Bano judgment as an example.

He also referred to a recent amendment concerning major minerals, claiming that the Centre had amended the law following a Supreme Court verdict on states' powers to levy royalties.

"If there is political will, both Congress and the BJP could bring a law in Parliament to remove NEET and save students' lives. Instead, NEET is being used for politics, while innocent students are losing their lives," he alleged.