CM Vijay, Stalin reiterate demand to abolish NEET
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and TVK president C. Joseph Vijay, along with DMK president M.K. Stalin, renewed their opposition to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), maintaining that the examination should be abolished in response to the growing protests across the country.
In a statement, Vijay criticised the detention of Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi and several Opposition leaders during a protest in New Delhi supporting the anti-NEET movement. He termed the police action undemocratic and said the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam had extended support to the demonstration.
The Chief Minister said the party’s position remained unchanged that NEET should be withdrawn entirely, arguing that the examination places significant pressure on students as well as their families.
He also urged the Union government to return education to the State List. If constitutional changes make that difficult, he suggested creating a Special Concurrent List that would allow states to independently decide matters related to education and medical admissions.
According to Vijay, granting states greater authority over educational policies would address long-standing concerns raised in Tamil Nadu. He appealed to the Centre to consider the sentiments of students and reiterated that removing NEET was the most effective solution.
Meanwhile, DMK president M.K. Stalin said the anti-NEET campaign in the national capital had drawn attention across the country. In a social media post, he said the DMK had consistently opposed NEET from the beginning, alleging that the examination was vulnerable to irregularities. He maintained that abolishing NEET should remain the central demand of the ongoing protests and ended his message with the slogan “Ban NEET, Save Students.”