NEET row: Jayakumar demands Stalin to step down for failing to keep their promise

CHENNAI: Calling the DMK's hunger protest against the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) a political stunt, senior AIADMK leader D Jayakumar on Tuesday demanded chief minister M K Stalin to admit to his government's failure to do away with NEET and step down.

"Being in power for two years now, the DMK government is now seeking the support of the opposition parties over the NEET issue. It is showing its incompetence. What are the measures taken by the ruling party in the last two years? What stopped them from raking up the issue in the Parliament ?"

Jayakumar wondered while talking to mediapersons after submitting a petition to DGP (law and order) demanding for an inquiry into the poor security arrangements for Madurai Ezhuchi Manadu on Sunday.

Former CM M Karunanidhi, his son and present CM M K Stalin and his grandson and minister Udhayanidhi are great actors, Jayakumar said and added that the DMK youth wing leader shed crocodile's tears in the hunger protest, keeping the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls in mind. They are trying to cheat the people of the state.

"It is shameful to see a sitting minister (Udhayanidhi) shedding tears without taking measures to get exemption for NEET. If they are incapable of fulfilling their poll promise, they should step down, " he said.

Skirted away from answering the question regarding Udhaynidhi Stalin's appeal to Leader of opposition Edappadi K Palaniswami and his party to participate in a sit-in protest in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence in Delhi over NEET row, Jayakumar wondered what they have been doing in the last two year?.

On criticism over the food arrangements to the cadres in the Madurai Conference, he said that it was a massive programme and 'around 15 lakh cadres' have attended the conference. So, there was some issue in providing food. It would not repeat.