Stalin: Stop blaming DMK for NEET, we opposed it first

The DMK president also said that it was his party under the leadership of the late chief minister M Karunanidhi wrote a letter to then Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad under UPA regime to immediately scrap NEET as it would affect poor people.

Stating that the AIADMK government blames the DMK for not taking steps to scrap NEET, Stalin said “Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) had not only written letter to Azad against the NEET, but also filed a writ petition with Madras High Court.”

“Therefore, NEET did not enter Tamil Nadu until DMK was in power,” he said adding “even the Supreme Court was against NEET during UPA regime.”

Stalin also claimed that the AIADMK and BJP-led government at the Centre have imposed NEET before completing the full proceedings of the writ petitions in the apex court. “Now, the AIADMK is in a stage that it could not do anything on NEET exemption.”

The DMK leader alleged that AIADMK government had “literally hidden the fact” of President rejecting the Bill (to scrap NEET), which was passed unanimously by Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2017. “Even after 21 months, it (AIADMK) has not informed that the resolution has been sent back,” he added.

He also said it is only the AIADMK that had “cheated” the people by giving “false” promises in the Parliament election manifesto that the government would take steps to get NEET exemption for the state.

Pointing out that state Health Minister C Vijaya Bhaskar’s claim that that the policy decision to scrap NEET was announced by the then late chief minister J Jayalalithaa, Stalin said “the minister also hid the fact that the policy was rejected by the court after hearing a case filed by a medical aspirant Priyadharshini.”

“However, Kalaignar (Karunanidhi) announced that NEET will not implemented in his election manifesto during 2006 and even after becoming chief minister, the announcement on NEET was also made in Governor’s speech in the Assembly,” he said.

Stalin also claimed that Karunanidhi also constituted a committee, led by the former Anna University Vice Chancellor Anantha Krishnan, to take steps for prevailing upon the Centre for giving NEET exemption for the state. “Therefore, the AIADMK should stop blaming the DMK in connection with NEET,” he noted.