Allies PMK and BJP differ on DMK’s anti-NEET resolution in House

CHENNAI: Ideological fissures in the National Democratic Alliance in Tamil Nadu were evident on the issue of NEET on Friday after PMK, a key constituent of the BJP led NDA, supported a resolution moved by the ruling DMK in the state Assembly for scrapping NEET nationwide. However, the BJP legislature party opposed the resolution and walked out of the House in protest.

Speaking on the resolution moved by Chief Minister MK Stalin in the Assembly for scrapping NEET, PMK legislature party leader GK Mani recalled the elimination of Common Entrance Test for admission to professional courses admission during the 2006-11 DMK regime and said, “I was the first person who raised the issue in the House then.

Entrance test was successfully scrapped for professional education admission in the reign of Kalaignar. PMK always opposes entrance tests. Are Class 12 marks not enough? Why should there be another test?” Claiming that students were forced to spend anywhere between Rs 3.5 to 7 lakh to prepare for NEET, Mani referred to student suicides and said the resolution ‘protects’ the rights of Tamil Nadu and the PMK was supporting it.

Moments earlier, BJP legislature party leader Nainar Nagendran said that the NEET was “good and essential” to admit students to medical courses. Nagendran led his MLAs out of the House in protest of the resolution opposing NEET, while the PMK, an NDA ally, supported the resolution.