Puducherry government should reject NEET to help poor, rural students: Former CM Narayanasamy

PUDUCHERRY: Congress leader and former Puducherry chief minister V Narayanasamy has hit out at Chief Minister N Rangasamy for `keeping quiet without raising protests' against holding NEET examination. Addressing reporters on Sunday night via video-conference, Narayanasamy said the Puducherry CM should write to the Prime Minister, Union Home and Health Ministers respectively registering the territorial government's objection to NEET and reject the system of holding the entrance exam for selection of medical students.

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"Instead of taking a firm stand, Rangasamy is keeping quiet and causing hardship to the poor and rural students aspiring to become doctors," the former chief minister said. He recalled how the previous Congress-DMK coalition ministry in Puducherry headed by him had adopted a resolution on the floor of the Assembly protesting against NEET and sent it to the Centre.

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Dubbing the action of Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi in returning the anti-NEET Bill to the Assembly Speaker as 'a clear violation of democratic principles and overstepping the constitutional provisions', Narayanasamy said Governors appointed by the Centre were proving themselves `to be spies and agents of the Centre'. He also criticised the BJP government at the Centre for 'ignoring the interests of people of Puducherry' as none of the promises that the Centre had held out to the people have been fulfilled.

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Farmers, workers in unorganised sector and fishermen are in distress and the UT government has not come forward to alleviate their woes, he said. He said there was also a delay in appointing chairpersons by the AINRC-led government here from among the legislators for the state government sponsored public sector undertakings (PSUs) in the UT.

Corporations and enterprises like Puducherry Power Corporation, government owned distilleries and Puducherry Planning Authority were earning profits but are now bereft of chairpersons. The government should post the heads without any further delay, Narayanasamy said adding that steps should be taken to reopen the AFT Mill, Swadeshi Cotton Mills and Bharathi Mills which were operated by Puducherry Textile Corporation.