Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly adopted Monday a bill to dispense with the National Entrance-cum-Eligibility Test (NEET). It said admission to medical courses will be based on Class XII marks to ensure social justice. This decision was taken after death by suicide of a medical aspirant fearing outcome of the test he was to take. The AIADMK has targetted the present Tamil Nadu government over the incident.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin introduced the Bill. All parties, including the main opposition AIADMK and its ally PMK, besides others like Congress, supported the bill. The bill seeks to provide for admission to UG courses in medicine, dentistry, Indian medicine and homeopathy on the basis of marks obtained in the qualifying examination (Class XII). However, BJP staged a walkout, protesting against the government move.
Earlier, as soon as the House convened, Leader of the Opposition, K Palaniswami referred to the death by suicide of 19-year old Dhanush in his native Salem district Sunday. He targetted the government on the matter. He said that though the DMK had promised ‘cancelling’ NEET, it was not done and several students had not prepared well. Some of his remarks were expunged by Speaker M Appavu. Palaniswami sought a job for a person from the family, besides cash assistance.
The opposition MLAs, who came to the House wearing black badges staged a walkout, led by Palaniswami.
Sunday, hours before he was to appear for NEET for a third time, 19-year old Dhanush, belonging to a village near Salem, died by suicide, fearing the outcome of the test he was to take. The incident triggered a blame game with the AIADMK holding the DMK regime responsible for the death and the state government targeting the Centre.
Stalin, replying, said NEET was conducted for the first time in Tamil Nadu when Palaniswami was the Chief Minister and it was not held even when the late J Jayalalithaa was the CM. Recalling the death by suicides of students, including S Anita in recent years, he said all these happened when Palaniswami was the chief minister. Stalin pointed out that Dhanush, who took the extreme step, could not clear the exam twice when the AIADMK was in power.
Stalin also targeted the AIADMK over rejection of Bills enacted during its regime in 2017 to get the state exempted from the ambit of NEET and also for hiding it from the House.
Stalin introduced the Bill and appealed to all to support it for social justice, indicating that the present initiative would be fully different from what was done before during the AIADMK regime.