BJP boycotts NEET meeting, slams DMK for ‘political drama’

CHENNAI: BJP state president K Annamalai on Wednesday announced that his party would not participate in the all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister MK Stalin to oppose the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), calling it a ‘political drama’.

In a statement, Annamalai accused the DMK of staging repeated protests against NEET only to protect the vested interests of private medical colleges allegedly run by its party members.

"It was only after the introduction of NEET that students from underprivileged backgrounds and government schools began gaining access to medical education," he said.

He pointed out that former DMK minister Arcot Veerasamy had openly spoken about monetary transactions in medical admissions at private colleges linked to the DMK.

"Despite this, the Chief Minister continues to mislead the public,” Annamalai charged.

Questioning the DMK's sincerity, he said, "If the state government truly wanted NEET to be scrapped, it should have approached the Supreme Court instead of passing resolutions or holding meetings."

Annamalai highlighted that prior to NEET, from 2007 to 2016, only 38 government school students per year on average entered medical colleges.

"Since NEET, that number has steadily increased," he said, adding that Tamil Nadu students are outperforming the national average.

The BJP leader also criticised the DMK for its failure to maintain government medical colleges, which led to derecognition of institutions like Stanley Medical College.

"The DMK's opposition to NEET is not for the welfare of students, but to secure profits for their institutions,” he alleged.

"Our students are capable. Stop this political theatre and let them pursue education in peace," added Annamalai.