DMK ready for joint protest with AIADMK on reservation Bill: Stalin

In a tweet, Stalin said Chief Minister K. Palaniswami should consult all the political parties on the kind of protest to be held and when.

Stalin said the Assembly had unanimously passed a Bill for providing 7.5 per cent horizontal reservation for government school students in medical college admission but Governor Banwarilal Purohit has not given his assent to it.

"This is an issue concerning the rights of the Assembly elected by the people. It is not good for the Governor to be indifferent or delay further," Stalin said.

Stalin has also written to Purohit requesting his early consent to the reservation Bill.

In his letter, Stalin told Purohit that the DMK party is against the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET) for medical college admissions as it hinders rural and urban poor students from pursuing medical studies.

Stalin said analysing the impact of the NEET examination on government school students, a committee headed by retired Justice P. Kalaiarasan had recommended horizontal reservation for those who had passed the NEET.

Accordingly, 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  providing 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students was passed on September 15, 2020 by the Assembly.

"In light of NEET results announced on 16.10.2020, 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 passed by the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly is given immediately, without further delay," Stalin said.