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CHENNAI: Congress and the allies aligned with the TVK government came together on Saturday (July 25) to step up their campaign against the NEET, declaring Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation as only the "first victory" and demanding the complete abolition of the medical entrance examination.
Addressing a protest organised by the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) in T Nagar in support of students agitating against NEET, TNCC president Manickam Tagore said the protests in Delhi had forced Pradhan to resign. Alleging repeated question paper leaks and irregularities in the examination system, he said NEET had placed immense psychological pressure on students and claimed several had died by suicide fearing the test. He urged the BJP-led Union government to abolish NEET.
CPM MP Su Venkatesan described the students' agitation as one of the biggest protests during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure. Alleging that police used excessive force against demonstrators in Delhi, he said Pradhan's resignation was the direct outcome of sustained student mobilisation.
IUML MP K Navaskani said democratic forces across the State had united against NEET and asserted that Pradhan's resignation alone was not enough. He called on the Union government to scrap the examination and urged the Tamil Nadu government to continue supporting and protecting students participating in the protests.
MDMK general secretary Vaiko hailed the month-long student agitation as an unprecedented youth movement. He demanded compensation for the families of students who had allegedly died due to NEET-related stress and reiterated the demand for education to be moved back to the State List.
Ministers Rajmohan and Vanniyarasu reaffirmed the state government's commitment to abolishing NEET and restoring education to the State List. They said the government would continue supporting peaceful protests against the examination and appealed to opposition parties to remain united in the campaign against NEET.