Tamil Nadu Assembly again adopts anti-NEET bill; BJP stages walks out

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Assembly on Tuesday adopted again, the anti-NEET Bill, returned days ago by the State Governor RN Ravi. The resolution was adopted amid thumping of desks, and Speaker M Appavu announced that it has been adopted unanimously. The resolution for the passage of the bill was piloted by Chief Minister MK Stalin.

Earlier, the BJP led by its floor leader Nainar Nagenthiran staged a walkout raising its objection to the move. During the discussion over the bill, the House witnessed twice when AIADMK's C Vijayabaskar, Health Minister in the previous regime, traced the origin of the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test to the Congress-led UPA regime in 2010 which was opposed to by the Congress members.

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Leader of the Opposition K Palaniswami said that his party colleague was only stating the fact. The chief minister, referring to the communique of Governor Ravi on the return of the bill last week, said the reasons adduced by him were not correct. Ravi, citing the Justice AK Rajan panel recommendations on NEET, said they were based on "guess," but it was data-driven and based on the opinions furnished by over one lakh people, Stalin said.

Reiterating his government's stand against the qualifying test, he said "NEET is not an education system but only a system to coach medical aspirants."

On February 3, Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has returned to the state government, an Assembly bill seeking an exemption to the state from the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test (NEET), saying it went against the interests of rural and economically poor students.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday sought response from the Centre and the Tamil Nadu government on a plea challenging the state government's decision which allocated 50 per cent of seats in super-specialty courses in government medical colleges in favour of in-service doctors of the state.