Stop gimmickry, strengthen TN students academically: Ponnar

They should not play political gimmicks and seek political mileage on the issues concerning the students including the NEET issue, he said.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating a motorcycle rally organised by the local unit of the BJP in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Quit India Movement here, Radhakrishnan said that the sustained initiatives and persuasion by the Tamil Nadu government and relentless initiatives by him and also Union Minister Nirmala Seetharaman, Tamil Nadu had been given exemption for a year from NEET in admission to medical courses in the government colleges.

He said that students of Tamil Nadu should be strengthened academically so that there would be no recurrence of demand for exemption from NEET. Political leaders and the functionaries of different outfits should also keep themselves away from the educational career of students. `You have several other avenues for your political gimmicks and political aversions, but you should not engage yourselves with the educational career of the students`, he told the political leaders in the State.

Radhakrishnan said State School Education Minister KA Sengottayan had initiated steps to augment the skill and proficiency of the students in the State. “I appreciate Sengotayyan`s steps,” he said. When his attention was drawn to Puducherry on NEET issue, he said that `persuasion is different from persistence`.