Indicating that no favourable word has been received from various Union Ministries as yet over the two State government Bills seeking to exempt aspirants of medical courses from NEET, the Tamil Nadu government on Thursday said that it was consulting with legal experts to examine other options.
DMK MLA and former Minister Thangam Thennarasu (Thiruchuli) made a special mention in the Legislative Assembly on the impasse over medical admissions and wondered whether the AIADMK government had a clear stand on the issue. Pointing to the contradictions in various arms of the government, he said while the Health Department was against admitting students based on their NEET marks, the School Education Department was said to be preparing the students for various competitive exams.
Former Minister and DMK MLA K. Ponmudi (Tirukoilur) too, during his speech on the debate on the demand for grants for School and Higher Education Departments, raised the issue and asked why the AIADMK government didn’t file any petition in the Supreme on the subject matter.
Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar said though the State government had acted in time to pass the resolutions in the House and sent the Bills seeking exemption from NEET for Presidential assent, favourable decisions have not been received from two relevant central Ministries (Health and HRD). The decision of the legal wing of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs was still awaited for sending both the Bills for Presidential assent, he said.
“If you are keen on protecting the interests of rural students and when the Union Ministries have not favourably considered Tamil Nadu government’s Bills, why haven’t you moved the Supreme Court yet on this issue?,” questioned Mr. Ponmudi.
‘Sticking to Jaya’s stand’
Responding to Mr. Ponmudi’s charge, Mr. Vijaya Baskar insisted that the government continued to remain firm on the decision taken by former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa against the implementation of NEET in Tamil Nadu. “We are against the NEET to this minute. The Chief Minister raised the issue with the Prime Minister twice. I have met various Ministers and our officers are taking it up seriously with the Centre,” he added.
Earlier, Mr. Thennarasu said over 98% of the students who completed school education were from the State board and they would be placed at a disadvantage if NEET, based on CBSE syllabus, was considered for admission into medical courses.
Law Minister C.Ve. Shanmugam too joined the debate and said it was during the Congress’ time that NEET was conceptualised and the DMK (which was sharing power with the Congress at the Centre) did not do anything to stop it.
However, Mr. Ponmudi maintained that it was the DMK which ensured NEET was not put in place until it was in power, but the AIADMK failed to do so.