Chennai, Oct 21 (UNI) Urging Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal

Purohit to give immediate assent to the Bill providing 7.5 per

cent horizontal reservation for government school students in

UG medical courses, Opposition DMK President M K Stalin

on Wednesday said his party was ready for a joint agitation

with the ruling AIADMK to protect the State's rights.

In a tweet, tagging a letter written to the Governor on the

issue, Mr Stalin said Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami

should consult the leaders of all parties and come out with

an announcement on the nature of agitation and when and

where it would be held.

Noting that as the issue involved the rights of the Tamil

Nadu Assembly, which had unanimously passed the Bill to

provide 7.5 per cent quota and forwarded the same to the

Governor for his assent, Mr Stalin said it was not proper for

Mr Purohit to be indifferent or delay the decision in giving

his assent.

In his letter to Mr Purohit, the leader of the Opposition said

based on the recommendations of Justice P Kalaiarasan

committee, the “Tamil Nadu Admission to Undergraduate

Courses in Medicine, Dentistry, Indian Medicine and

Homeopathy on preferential basis to the students of the

Government Schools Bill, 2020” to provide horizontal

reservation of 7.5 per cent in NEET examination for

government school students was passed on September 15

unanimously in the Assembly and sent to the Governor for

his assent.

He said in the light of announcement of NEET results

the government school students could benefit from the

reservation in this academic year itself, only if the assent

for 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation Bill was given

immediately, without further delay.

'Therefore, on behalf of the DMK, I urge you to immediately

give assent to the bill and help fulfilment of the dream of

government school students to an extent to pursue medicine

as their profession', Mr Stalin said.

It may be noted that a delegation of Ministers called on

the Governor at Raj Bhavan yesterday and urged him to

give his assent to the Bill so that counselling for medical

admissions could commence.

Talking to reporters after an hour long meeting, Fisheries

Minister D Jayakumar said the Governor was “examining”

the Bill from various angles and would soon give his assent.

“We are confident that he will come out with a favourable

decision on the matter”, he added.

He said the team of Ministers impressed upon the Governor

the need for him giving his assent early to the quota Bill.

Apart from the State being a “land of social justice”, he

said the horizontal quota would enable more government

school students to pursue medical courses.

MDMK General Secretary and Rajya Sabha MP Vaiko

and PMK Founder Dr S Ramadoss and leaders of other

parties also urged the Governor to give his assent to the

Bill as around 300 students from government schools

would be able to enter medical colleges.

UNI GV 1315