NEET UG 2024 Row: DMK Ups Demand for NEET Abolition, BJP’s Annamalai Slams ‘Drama’; Actor Vijay Backs Tamil Nadu Assembly Resolution

Chennai, July 3: The ruling DMK in Tamil Nadu on Wednesday said the opposition to NEET is an "all-India issue" now and sounded confident of seeing a "good result," vis-a-vis its possible abolition, on a day when top Tamil actor Vijay backed an Assembly resolution against the central qualifying test piloted by the government recently. The DMK's students' wing held a protest demanding the abolition of NEET, even as Opposition AIADMK and BJP hit out at the ruling party for "misleading people" and enacting a "drama" over the issue.

NEET has been a sensitive issue in Tamil Nadu as scores of medical aspirants have died allegedly by suicide over the past few years, either over failing the exam or fears of unable to crack it. All major political parties, including the DMK and the AIADMK have been opposed to NEET. DMK has been opposing NEET for long, claiming it was against social justice and state's rights. It wants marks secured in the class 12 exams to be the criteria for medical admissions. The DMK protest, titled "No More NEET" was led by the party's Students Wing Secretary and Kancheepuram MLA, CVMP Ezhilarasan. The protesters were clad in black. Actor Vijay Backs NEET Exemption: Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam Founder Voices Opposition to NEET UG, Asks Centre To Respect Tamil Nadu’s Sentiments on the Matter

DMK Organistion Secretary R S Bharathi addressed the protesters. The agitation comes days after the Tamil Nadu Assembly passed yet another resolution, seeking NEET exemption to the state. In his address at the protest venue, Bharathi said the DMK has been opposing NEET ever since it was introduced and that it could not "enter into Tamil Nadu" during the days of late party president and former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi. So was the case when late AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa ruled the state.

Later, speaking to reporters, he said all the people have started realising that DMK's decision to oppose NEET "is a good one." "Earlier, DMK alone was talking about NEET, today all the parties are talking. (Actor) Vijay has also voluntarily extended support to our resolution." "This is an all-India issue. There will be a good result. Last time it was different, this time the Parliament is different, there will be changes," he said in an apparent reference to a stronger opposition in the Lok Sabha that could press for NEET abolition.

Actor Vijay, who heads the political party Tamizhaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK) that would contest the 2026 Assembly polls in the state, also opposed NEET and wanted Education to be brought to the States' List as a permanent solution to such issues. Addressing students at an event organised by him to honour rank holders of classes 10 and 12 exams, the actor-politician claimed students in Tamil Nadu, especially the poor, those from backward and very backward classes in the rural areas have been "badly affected," following the introduction of the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test. NEET was also against states' rights as it was moved to the concurrent list after 1975. NEET 2024 Row: Tamil Nadu Assembly Passes Resolution To Scrap NEET Amid Controversy

"Curriculum should be state-specific. It should give importance to different perspectives. Diversity is a strength, not a weakness. After studying in the state language and syllabus and exam based on NCERT, how is it fair (for an aspirant to appear in the central test)...think about the rural students, how difficult it is for them." "We have seen some reports of irregularities in NEET. After this, the credibility about NEET has gone. We have understood NEET is no more required. The solution is NEET exemption. I wholeheartedly support the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution seeking NEET exemption for the state," he said.

Without much delay, the Centre "should respect TN people's sentiments," on the matter. The permanent solution would be to move Education from Concurrent list to State list and if there was any 'difficulty' in this, "a special Concurrent List could be created and include Education and Health in it," following a Constitutional amendment, he said. Hitting out at the DMK over NEET, its archrival AIADMK said the party was resorting to such protests to "mislead" people from issues like the recent Kallakurichi hooch tragedy and "deteriorating law and order" among others.

"They have been in power for three years. What was their pre-poll assurance? That the first signature after forming government would be that regarding abolishing NEET. How many times have they met the Prime Minister over the issue, or taken up the matter in the Parliament," senior AIADMK leader and former minister, D Jayakumar said. Such "fraud" protests were aimed at misleading people from key issues in the state, he told PTI. Meanwhile, BJP state president K Annamalai slammed the DMK for enacting a 'drama' using NEET. He said the BJP has pointed out many "shortcomings" in the report of Justice AK Rajan Committee, appointed by the DMK government on the NEET issue.

Post-NEET, steps have been implemented, based on the BJP-led Centre's recommendations, to increase the intake of rural and government school students in government medical colleges. He alleged that the committee set up by the DMK government was "not providing details on (enrollment of) government school students in government medical colleges," pre-NEET, despite seeking it repeatedly. "What is the mystery behind the DMK enacting an anti-NEET drama in the absence of complete details in the committee report," he said in a post on 'X.'

He asked if the DMK was "afraid" whether truth will emerge that government school students 'largely' benefited vis-a-vis medical admissions in government colleges, post-NEET.