Abolish NEET exam or grant exemption to Tamil Nadu: DMK demands in Rajya Sabha

DMK Rajya Sabha member P Wilson on Tuesday urged the central government to either abolish NEET or grant assent to Tamil Nadu's NEET exemption Bill that aims to exclude the state from the medical entrance exam.

His demand came during the debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President's address in the Rajya Sabha, amid the controversy over the alleged irregularities over the conduct of NEET 2024.

Also read | 'Each day costs lives': Stalin seeks President's nod to anti-NEET bill

Terming the exam a “NEET menace”, the DMK leader said, the state legislative assembly had passed the Tamil Nadu Admission to Medical Courses Bill in 2021, but the bill has been awaiting the President's assent for three years, "causing "anxiety" among students and parents."

Wilson also raised concerns over the ability of the National Testing Agency (NTA) to handle competitive exams, including the NEET. The DMK leader said, "the lack of legislation could potentially "shield the agency from accountability".

"From 2014 to 2024, the government has passed 427 Bills in the Lok Sabha and 365 bills in the Rajya Sabha. However, the Union government was not interested in introducing legislation to provide statutory backing to the NTA," Wilson added.

Also read | DMK won't stop until NEET exemption is secured, says Stalin, party stages hunger strike

He also claimed that a delay in ordering a CBI probe into the irregularities might have allowed “fraudsters” to tamper with documents and erase evidence.

On Friday, the Tamil Nadu assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to “immediately approve of T.N.’s NEET exemption bill” and “make necessary amendments to the National Medical Commission Act” to abolish NEET at the national level.

Speaking in the assembly Chief Minister MK Stalin said that “while the admission system based on marks obtained in class 12 had ensured social justice and equal opportunities for students hailing from various sections of the society, enabling doctors to emerge from every part of the State," reported the Hindu.

Also read | Lok Sabha Session LIVE updates

The Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate Medical Degree Courses Bill, 2021 was initially passed in September 2021 but was returned by state Governor RN Ravi after a five-month delay. The bill was re-introduced and passed in the assembly in Feb 2022 and was sent to the Governor, who reserved the bill for Presidential assent.

The ruling DMK conducted a state-wide one-day hunger strike during Aug 2023 demanding scrapping of the exam. The party has also conducted statewide signature campaigns and Stalin had also submitted petitions to the President demanding the same.

(With PTI inputs)