For almost a decade, Tamil Nadu gave medical admissions on the basis of class XII marks.
Chennai:
In a major embarrassment to Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi, the MK Stalin government officially boycotted his “At Home Reception” which he called the NEET Exemption Bill to the central government even after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed unanimously twice. Delay in forwarding said.
Industries Minister Thangam Thennarasu and Health Minister Ma Subramaniam officially apprised the Governor of the government’s stand.
“We have told the governor that his delay in forwarding the bill to the central government for the assent of the President is an insult to the sentiments of the assembly and the people and the government feels that it will not be able to attend the At Home reception,” Mr. Thenarasu said. .
“It is regrettable that the governor has not given any time limit to take the bill forward,” he said.
The Minister said that though the Governor had earlier returned the Bill after about 200 days, the Tamil Nadu Assembly unanimously re-accepted the Bill and sent it, hoping that it would send it to the Center as per convention, The minister said.
Tamil Nadu opposes the medical entrance exam NEET, arguing that it favors the wealthy who can afford private coaching and denies opportunities to rural and economically weaker students who cannot afford it .
For almost a decade, the state government had given medical admission on the basis of class XII marks.
The then ruling DMK during the UPA regime had obtained the President’s assent for a similar bill that exempted the state from NEET.
However, the President returned a similar bill passed by the Assembly during the AIADMK rule.
The DMK government had constituted the Justice AK Rajan committee and prepared this bill on the basis of its recommendations, which the governor found to be wrong.
So far, at least 20 medical degree candidates, including toppers, have died by suicide in the state, unable to crack NEET. The state government is of the view that the law should allow states to opt out of NEET. Political voices have started opposing NEET in some other states including neighboring Karnataka.
The strong political message from the ruling DMK comes as the academic year is coming to an end and the application process for the entrance exam has begun. A delay on the part of the governor would eliminate any possibility of relaxation in NEET this year, which was the party’s key election promise.
This is, in fact, a common cause for all political parties in Tamil Nadu except the BJP.
So far no communication has come from Raj Bhavan in this matter. Many are questioning whether there should be a time limit for governors to take decisions on such issues.