Anti-NEET Bill will be sent for presidential assent: Tamil Nadu Governor to CM Stalin

Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi on Tuesday assured Chief Minister M K Stalin that the anti-NEET Bill adopted recently by the state Assembly would be forwarded to the Centre for Presidential assent. Stalin called on Ravi at the Raj Bhavan here and urged him to expeditiously send the Bill to exempt Tamil Nadu from the purview of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test for getting Presidential assent, an official release here said.

On February 8, the Tamil Nadu Assembly had adopted once again the anti-NEET Bill and sent it Raj Bhavan for getting Presidential assent. The previous anti-NEET Bill, passed on September 13, 2021 by the DMK regime was returned after 142 days to the government by Governor Ravi.

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Since admission to medical colleges for the 2022-23 academic year is set to commence soon, the anti-NEET Bill should be sent to the Centre quickly, the Chief Minister underscored in his meeting with the Governor. Also, Stalin urged Ravi to take immediate action on other Bills passed by the Assembly and other files, all pending for many months. Swift action on such matters that awaited his nod would guard the Assembly's dignity and respect the sentiments of the Tamil Nadu people, Stalin pointed out to Ravi, the government said.

Towards the end of the meeting, Ravi assured Stalin that the anti-NEET Bill would be forwarded to President Ram Nath Kovind to obtain his nod. The Chief Minister presented a book, 'Dravidian Model,' to the Governor. Social justice driven inclusive growth is the key feature of the 'Dravidian model' put forward by Stalin and the DMK regime's good governance tagline. Senior Minister Duraimurugan, who holds the Water Resources portfolio, Higher Education Minister K Ponmudi, Health Minister Ma Subramanian, and Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu were present during the meeting.

The Governor and the ruling DMK for the first time crossed swords on NEET in January this year following Ravi's remarks in his Republic Day address. Ravi had said, "Before introduction of NEET, the share of students from government schools to the seats in government medical colleges was hardly 1 per cent. Thanks to the affirmative action of 7.5 per cent reservation for government school students that number has improved significantly."

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The 7.5 per cent reservation was introduced during the previous AIADMK regime. DMK had strongly objected to Ravi's remark on NEET and asserted that if he tried 'to do politics' by following a 'big brother attitude', it would not succeed. Later, the Governor's office had on February 3 said that the anti-NEET Bill (2021) was sent back to the Assembly.

The Raj Bhavan had said that Ravi is of the opinion that the Bill went against the interests of rural and economically poor students and hence returned. The return of the Bill echoed in the Lok Sabha as well and the DMK and its ally Congress had demanded that the Centre recall Ravi. Subsequently, the state government held an all-party meeting and soon the Bill was adopted again in the Assembly. Barring the BJP, all other parties in Tamil Nadu oppose NEET and doing away with the national test is one of the 2021 Assembly election assurance of the ruling DMK.