Will continue to fight for NEET exemption for TN: Stalin in all-party meet

The ruling DMK has convened an all-party meet to ensure that the parties are on the same page with regards to NEET exams. AIADMK, BJP, PMK, CPI, CPM, Congress, VCK, MDMK parties joined the meet.

BJP had staged a walkout, representing the party and Coimbatore South MLA Vanathi Srinivasan said there was no truth in the aspersions cast by DMK on NEET. "While I don't deny there were some issues in the initial stages of NEET implementation, but today students of the backward community have also started filling open quota in huge numbers. So it is non-justifiable on the part of DMK to complain that students are struggling to cope with the exams. NEET is beneficial also for those students who are comfortable with regional languages," she added.

Stalin in the meet said, "Once the DMK was brought to power, I met with PM Modi on June last year in person to seek exemption for Tamil Nadu students from NEET. We also had passed a bill last September 13 for the same". Emphasising the need to have convened the all-party meet Stalin continued, "The Bill was then forwarded to the Governor which wasn't sent to Presidential assent".

"An all-party meet became necessary as the powers of the state and its assembly was undermined," Stalin added. Along with Stalin, ministers Ponmudi, Durai Murugan and Ma Subramanian represented DMK.

State Health Minister Ma Subramanian told media persons after a meeting of all legislature parties at the state secretariat on Saturday that steps to arrange another meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah regarding NEET will be taken.

The major Opposition party AIADMK too has ensured its continued support to DMK. AIADMK representative and former Health Minister Vijayabaskar addressed the press after the meet, "We assure our support to the ruling DMK government in its efforts seeking to exempt TN students from writing NEET exams".